In Too Deep
by MalalaAndSundance
Summary: The last thing she wanted to do was keep secrets from her but this was something Riley couldn't find out. How else was Maya going to explain her secret phone calls and hospital visits?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

"Why did you do that, is this your way of thanking me or what?"

"No Maya, i did that because I really wanted to do it. Go ahead, slap me, hit me- I don't care. You know why? Because I've been wanting to kiss you for a long time and I don't regret doing it and I'm sorry it took me this long to figure it out. I'm sorry." He said a little out of breath. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you. If I could take everything back I would. Maya, please believe me when I say that what I do regret is making you feel bad. I'm sorry about all the things I said to you at the party. I guess you can say I had it coming right? I messed up and dragged you into this but I'm done. I got my ass kicked, got shot at and almost got you killed in the process.

"Huckleberry I dragged myself into your mess. Don't blame yourself for that. I was the one who decided to follow you when those guys took you. It's a good thing I called the cops though. Otherwise, we would both be dead right now. Let this be a lesson to you so you won't mess with the wrong people."

"Hey how was I supposed to know that the guy who sold me a car had actually stolen it from them and that there was money in a secret compartment? I mean I tried to reason with them but they got all defensive and started punching and shooting at me. Luckily, they had bad aim and you got there on time even though then they started shooting at you but you shot back." He said trying to justify himself.

"Why did you do it Maya, why were you willing to risk your life just to save mine? I didn't deserve it. I treated you like shit. I had it coming." He said a little more seriously.

"Because I-." she thought for a moment. She really needed to think about what she was going to say next. " _Because I care about you. If something would've happened to you I would've never forgiven myself."_ She closed her eyes and sighed. "I did it because even though you're an asshole and you treat me like shit sometimes, I wouldn't have had someone to mess with anymore. Plus, I'm a good shooter and it was fun." That last part was very true.

With that, he cupped her face and pulled her into another kiss. She didn't hesitate nor questioned it. She gave in, she was consumed in that kiss. She enjoyed the way his lips felt with hers and the way she inhaled his scent like as if in that moment, he was her oxygen. She needed him and even though she felt like she was doing something wrong it also felt very right. This kiss felt different. She needed to feel him so she tugged his shirt and pulled him closer. She traced his face and dug her nails in his hair. She felt the way his hand was trailing down her neck while the other held on to her waist.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that." He said a little out of breath breaking the was a sincere look in his eyes. Maya couldn't help but smile and laugh a little. She had just saved his life and this moment, this moment right here she wanted to hold onto for a little bit longer. She believed him, but there was something there. Riley. She couldn't help but think about her as he stood there practically pouring his heart out.

"No...this isn't right. I should, I should go. I'm glad you're ok but this can't happen again. You can't kiss me like that. Ok?" She asked even though this really wasn't a question, it was more like a conformation. She was nervous. She couldn't even look him in the eyes as she said all of this.

"Maya wait-"

She cut him off. Looking at him this time.

"Huckleberry...don't. Please ok, you're welcome. I saved you're life and you thanked me for it. Let's just forget about it and go on with our lives. I'm not doing this. I **can't** do this to her."

"Maya, Riley has nothing to do with this. These are my feelings for you. I don't like her like that and she knows it. Please, I know this is alot to take in but think about it. For me. For us. Let yourself be happy. Let me make you happy Maya."

He waited for her to say something but she didn't. Instead, she started fumbling with her keys. She looked beautiful. He hadn't realized just how beautiful she looked with her red dress that fit her perfectly and outlined her hips and the black high heels that made her just the perfect height for him to kiss her, which he wouldn't mind doing. She also looked exhausted and he couldn't help but feel guilty about it. He had ruined the party they were invited to by simply showing up and opening his big mouth. He cared for her, he really did but he always had to say something to mess everything up. It was all part of their game. Playful bantering and teasing. He enjoyed it. A little to much sometimes. It was always something him and Maya shared since the beginning. But he took it to far sometimes and when he did she would slap him right across the face without hesitation. Today was one of those times. He had asked her just how she had managed to get a date to the party on such short notice. Or better yet, how she managed to get the money to pay him to accompany her. She was furious and in that moment he knew he had messed up. He regretted it instantly but it was to late. Before he knew it he felt pain on his cheek and champagne on his face. She was mad and he couldn't blame her. There was a mixture of fury and sadness in her eyes. Those big blue beautiful eyes that he could get lost in. How had he not realized his feelings for her? Why did it take him this long to figure that out? He didn't have time to think about that though because Maya was now clearing her throat ready to talk.

"Like I said, I'm not doing this to her. Please just let it go."

He didn't have a chance to respond because by the time he had processed everything she was already out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

"Riles I'm home." Maya said as she walked into the apartment placing her high heels in the closet. She was exhausted and the cold tile felt nice against her feet. All she wanted to do was climb in her bed and sleep. After all it had been a very long day. She had just saved a life and not just anybody's life but none other than Huckleberry Friar.

"I'm in the kitchen." Riley answered.

"Honey, it's late. What are you doing up?"

"Oh yeah?" Riley challenged. "I could ask you the same thing. Where have you been Maya? It's late and I haven't heard from you. I mean one minute you say you're going to the bathroom and then that minute turns into hours. You left the party without telling me and I was worried sick. I was worried please don't do that again. I mean if you ever wanna be alone or go somewhere just tell me. Something could've happened." Riley finished.

 _Well funny story, something did happen_ she thought but instead pulled Riley into a hug and apologized.

"I'm sorry Riles I just...I needed air so I left and lost track of time. I promise I'll call next time.

"Maya...Peaches?" Riley said studying her. "Are you sure that's it? If something was bothering you, you'd tell me right? I know there's more that you're not telling me. You've been acting really weird lately but I'll just wait until you're ready to talk. Just promise that you'll come to me ok?"

"You know I always will Riles. I'm just really tired that's all." There was no was no way in hell she was going to mention the moment she had just shared with Lucas. I mean sure him and Riley were no longer together but that didn't help the fact that she still felt guilty for feeling the way she did about him. She didn't like keeping things from Riley but this was one secret she had to keep among all the others she had kept from her. The less Riley knew, the better.

Maya woke up groggy and sore replaying all the events that had happened the night before. She was alone. The house felt quiet but she didn't mind. As much as she loved Riley, she enjoyed when she had the apartment to herself. It gave her a chance to concentrate, pick up a brush and let out everything she was feeling.

She made her way to the kitchen and found a note on the counter.

 _Hey Peaches,_

 _I went to the store to buy some things needed for the apartment. You were sound asleep so I didn't want to wake you. There's a breakfast casserole in the fridge if you're hungry. Please eat. I'll be back in a few hours.-Riley_

She wasn't very hungry and skipped out on breakfast. Instead, picking up a canvas and began to paint. She concentrated hard. Mixing reds and yellows and adding black and blue here and there. She didn't know exactly what she was painting but she found it hard to stop. She had to though because in that moment she recieved a phone call. ' _Hospital'_

"Hello?. Yes this is she...oh you do? That's great! Yes thank you, I'll pick them up as soon as I can."

It was the hospital. Maya had been experiencing minor headaches that didn't seem to want to go away and that worried her a bit so she decided to go to a clinic to run some tests and those tests were taken to a hospital.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a knock on the door. She made her way to the door and opened it.

"Oh it's you." She said.

"Hey Maya."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

"Huckleberry...what are you doing here? I thought I had made myself crystal clear when I told you I didn't want to do _this_." she said trying to close the door with no luck.

"I know but that doesn't mean we can't be friends right? Well, this is me, visiting a friend. I wanted to see if you had made it home in one piece. You left my place really late and I was worried about you." he said, a small smile forming across his lips.

"Well a simple phone call would've been enough don't you think?"

"No I don't. I wanted to see you. Are you gonna let me come in?"

"Do i have a choice?" she asked defeated.

He made his way in wiping his feet on the welcome mat. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a kiss that lasted less then he would've wanted because she pulled away as soon as it happened.

"Lucas what the hell?" she asked confused. "You can't just come here and kiss me like that. We talked about this. Don't make me regret being your friend."

"Maya after what happened between us last night we can both agree that we can't be just friends. I like you Maya and I know you feel the same way about me ok, the kiss last night proved it. Why can't you just accept you felt something and we'll go from there? Oh and please don't mention Riley in any of this. You're gonna have to come up with something better than that.

"Well it didn't. We were just caught up in the moment. That kiss didn't mean anything. _You_ don't mean anything." Maya finished trying to convince herself and failing miserably. Something told her Lucas didn't believe her either. After all, she wasn't the best liar. Having Riley as a friend could do that. Man had Riley rubbed off on her. It was really annoying at the moment. She saw the way he looked at her. The sad expression in his eyes as he was searching for _something. Something_ that would assure him that what they felt was real. She was lying and even though Lucas was a stupid cowboy he wasn't dumb. He knew she was lying but he was waiting for her to come clean. But she didn't. She ignored the urge.

Him being here wasn't helping her in the least. Man did he look good. His hair was stylishly messy, it was a nice look on him. He wore a red long sleeve shirt which was a huge upgrade from his usual blue ones, and black jeans. She was hypnotized and as much as she wanted to ignore everything and just give in and kiss him, she wasn't about to bring herself to do it. She had meant what she said, it was for the best. She couldn't betray Riley like that she was far more important to her than any guy ever could be, even if that guy was Lucas Huckleberry Friar.

"Ok so yeah I'm fine. I appreciate you coming but I'm fine and you should really go." Maya said shaking her head and trying to push him out the door. He wouldn't budge. Maya really needed him to leave. Yes they had to talk about what had happened especially after that poor excuse of an explanation she gave as to why that happened but right now wasn't the time. She suddenly felt dizzy. She closed her eyes trying to collect herself but it was no use. Her vision wasn't very clear and her legs felt like jello. _No!_ she thought _Stupid headache. Why did you have to come back when Lucas was here!_

"Maya...hey look at me focus on me." Lucas said worried but Maya couldn't focus. The throbbing in her head and the sharp ringing in her ears wouldn't let her. The last thing she saw was Lucas' worried face before she completely blacked out and Lucas caught her in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Announcement!**

 **Hey guys, Malala speaking. Sorry this isn't a chapter. I just wanted to thank you for reading my story. I'm new to this so I hope you're liking it so far. Please review and comment. I'm not sure how everything works yet so please bear with me.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4.

"Maya wake up!" Lucas yelled caressing her face and lightly kissing her cheek. It was useless, she wasn't responding. He took her in his arms and carried her to her room. He layed her down gently and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. He returned shortly and set it on a small table Maya had where she liked to put all of her art supplies. He heard a knob turning. _Riley_ he thought.

"Peaches, I'm back!" Riley announced.

"In here Riley!"

"Lucas, is that you? What are you doing here?" Riley asked as she followed the voice that was coming from Maya's room.

"Maya! Lucas, what happened?" Riley asked frantically as soon as she saw Maya laying on her bed unresponsive.

"I came to talk to her but she didn't look so good and she fainted. I carried her into her bedroom but she won't wake up. What do we do?"

"Um...go to the bathroom, there's alcohol in the cabinet. Grab that and some cotton balls."

Riley took his spot as soon as he got up to get what he was told. He came back immediately with the supplies and watched as Riley soaked a cotton ball in alcohol.

"C'mon Peaches open your eyes." Riley said as she brought the cotton ball to Maya's nose.

"...Riley." Lucas began after a few seconds of silence. "Has Maya fainted before?" He asked but Riley didn't answer. Maya's eyes were opening slowly.

"Peaches." Riley said stroking Maya's hair. "Can you hear me? It's Riley. You fainted but you're gonna be fine."

"Riles..." Maya answered, her voice barely a whisper. "What happened? My head hurts." She said trying to sit up. She regretted it instantly, closing her eyes and plopping back down on the pillow.

"You fainted Maya. We were talking then you fainted so I carried you here. How are you feeling?" Lucas answered instead of Riley. "Drink some water." He told her . Riley saw the glass of water that was on the table and held it so Maya could drink. She did as she was told although she drank less water than Riley hoped, coughing instantly.

"Lucas..." Maya asked confused what are you doing here?" Maya said clearing her throat. I...don't remember you coming." She answered as she thought hard. The look on her face told him that she didn't remember and this was something he wasn't going to discuss in front of Riley. Something told him Maya didn't want Riley to know and he had to respect her wishes. He looked at her for a few moments before he got up from the bed.

Dusting off his jeans and looking at his watch after a few minutes of silence, Lucas knew he had overstayed his visit and decided to leave. Maya was in no condition to talk and he could tell he was making her uncomfortable and Riley was making _him_ uncomfortable with her staring knowing that she was trying to get answers. So she got up and walked him to the door and thanked him for being there although his presence in their apartment was really unexplained. But nonetheless, she was thankful. If it weren't for him, and Maya was alone, something even worse could've happened to her.

"Please keep me updated. She really scared me."

"Don't worry, I will. Thanks again Lucas for being here and keeping Maya company while I was gone. I don't know what I would've done if something happened to her."

With that, he made his way out the door and she watched him leave.

She walked back in to check on Maya and possibly get some answers. It wasn't like Maya to faint and she hadn't complained before. She walked in only to see that Maya was sleeping. She bent down, moved the hair away from her eyes and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "Sweet dreams Peaches you need to rest." Riley said softly and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5.

"Tell me again why you don't want Lucas to know how you're doing? I mean I have far to many missed calls and text messages from him than i can count. He just wants to know how you're doing. Or are you forgetting that you fainted a few days ago and he was here to witness it all? He's worried about you Maya. We both are. Besides, I told him I would keep him updated and I want to keep my word."

"I just don't want to deal with Lucas right now." Maya answered picking at her food. She had been sitting there for a while now not able to eat any of it.

"You wanna tell me what's going on. What did you guys fight about this time? Would you care to explain to me what he was doing here when you fainted while you're at it. Maya what's going on?

 _Oh nothing except ya know that party I left the other day? Yeah well, I lied to you. I left that party to save Huckleberry's life because he's an idiot and messed with the wrong people. And one thing led to the other and before I knew it, he poured his heart out and kissed me._

"Whoa Riles slow down you're asking to many questions. Look, we didn't get into a fight. Nothing happened and as far as the fainting goes, I told you I'm just as confused as you are because I don't remember. I just know that I don't want to deal with him right now."

"I just...I feel like there's something you're not telling me and I'm worried about you Maya. You disappear sometimes without telling me where you're going, you haven't been eating well, I ask you questions and you don't answer them half the time and now you're fainting. I just want you to be ok and know that you can trust me." Riley finished, tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey, look at me. There is no one I trust more in this life than you. It's you and me against the world remember? I'm fine Riles really I am. If something was wrong I would tell you."

Riley said nothing. She just looked at her and picked up Maya's plate. Her food was cold and she would no longer be eating it.

"Um...there's something I have to do though so don't wait up ok." Maya said as she grabbed her jacket without waiting for Riley to respond. She had finally found the time to go to the hospital to pick up her test results. The headaches didn't seem to go away and they were getting worse. She didn't mention the headaches to Riley which was why she had a hard time understanding why Maya fainted but she decided to keep it that way. Riley didn't need to know any of this, it was probably nothing serious anyway right?

Maya took a deep breath and walked into the hospital. She had been making secret visits for the past month without telling Riley. Stuart Minkus was her doctor and had promised to keep her secret. He had no choice, it was patient confidentiality and he had to respect her wishes. She walked inside the hospital.

"Hey Maya!" Farkle greeted her a little to loudly causing her to jump.

"Are you feeling okay? What are you doing here?"

"I made an appointment with your dad yesterday and I'm here to pick up some test results. I need to speak with him.

"Are you still getting headaches? Does Riley know you're here?" He asked watching her closely.

"No Farkle, she doesn't and I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't tell her."

"Don't worry Maya your secret's safe with me but you are gonna have to tell her sooner or later ya' know? I know you're trying to protect her and yourself for that matter but it's best if you tell her."

"I know but before I say anything, I need to know what's wrong with me." she answered tiredly.

"C'mon, I'll walk you to my dad's office. I need him to see this report."

She was thankful Farkle was there with her. It made her feel as though she didn't have to do this alone. He had been working with his dad for years now, which is why she had decided to contact him when the headaches had started.

They walked in silence making their way into the elevator. Farkle held out his hand and Maya grabbed it quickly. He knew how much she hated elevators. She closed her eyes and opened them when the doors flew open indicating they had made it to the 7th floor. They walked out of the elevator and Maya on her jacket a sudden nervousness surrounding her. She was Maya Hart after all, right? She was a strong amazon warrior. She was gonna be fine.

Maya took a deep breath. _Alrighty Maya, it's now or never. No matter what happens, you're gonna fine._ She thought as she walked into Stuart Minkus' office. She looked around the room watching small drops of water sliding down the window that gave a clear view to the city. She focused her vision and noticed that Mr. Minkus was standing right in front of her. Fixing her posture, she stood up straighter and fixed her jacket.

"Hello Maya, I've been expecting you." Mr. Minkus greeted her with a little too much enthusiasm then necessary.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

"Hey Mr. Minkus. Thanks for recieving me on such short notice."

"Dad, when you have time I'd like you to look over these reports. I'll leave you two alone to talk." Farkle said and gave Maya a small smile.

"Take a seat Maya. You sounded distraught last time we spoke. Tell me, what can I do for you? I have your test results right here. Let me look at them to make sure everything is ok." He looked up at her as she nodded. He opened the envelope, his eyes swimming through the page and a small wrinkle forming on his forehead.

"Well the results indicate that there's nothing wrong Maya. I could prescribe some medicine for you to take for the headaches you've been having but other than that I don't know what to tell you."

"Mr. Minkus..." Maya began, her voice unsteady. I...I don't understand, something is wrong. My headaches are getting worse and I fainted a few days ago. Could you...I don't know run more tests? There has to be something else you could do. I thought they were just minor headaches that I could simply ignore but they're more frequent now and stronger. I'm really worried and Riley is starting to get suspicious and I don't know if I'll be able to keep this from her any longer."

"Of course Maya I'll run some tests. Don't worry, you'll be fine. We'll figure this out and everything will be alright. I need you to follow me, I'll run an MRI." He looked at her as her face grew worried.

"Mr. Minkus, it never really occured to me...I was able to gather the money to pay for these tests, but if you run more or it gets worse and I have to...my question is, how much is all of this going to cost?"

"Don't worry about that Maya." He said putting a hand on her shoulder.

They went through all the procedures and Maya was feeling a little better. After all, Minkus was a very good doctor. He assured her that she would be fine so she _would_ be fine right?

"Ok Maya, the tests will come back in a few weeks. I'll call you when they arrive and we'll go from there, sound good?" He asked with a smile on his face. How could be happy all the time?

"That sounds great Mr. Minkus. Thanks for everything."

She put her jacket on and left the hospital, a small breeze hitting her face. She was in no hurry to get home especially after leaving the way she did without giving Riley a chance to say anything, so she decided to walk. She walked a few blocks when she heard a voice yelling her name.

"Maya!"

She turned around to see Lucas getting closer.

"Hey Maya where are you coming from? No scratch that...are you ignoring me? I've been trying to get ahold of you for days. I've left you a bunch of messages and you haven't answered one." He finished looking slightly annoyed.

"2 points for the cowboy!" Maya answered sarcastically. "Nothing gets past you does it Huckleberry?"

"Maya don't be like that. I really wanna know what's going on with you. I haven't heard from you in days."

"I've just been busy and if you must know, I'm coming from an art gallery that I like to visit. They just put up new pieces and I wanted to check them out." That wasn't an entire lie. There was an art gallery she liked to visit but it was nowhwere near here but Lucas didn't need to know that part.

"Maya, I don't think that's it." Lucas said with worry in his voice.

"I don't think that's it." Maya answered mockingly as she imitated him exaggerating a bit on the accent.

"I don't talk like that Maya. Seriously, what's going on with you? Are you ok?"

 _No Friar I am not ok. I'm scared because I've been getting horrible headaches and I'm worried and you being here isn't really helping._

 _"_ Yeah I'm fine I just...I really need to get home to Riley. I don't need her worrying about me. Look I don't really want to talk right now, it's raining and I'm tired." She answered, avoiding eye contact.

Lucas sighed. "Maya you can't keep avoiding me. I get that you don't want to talk right now but we're gonna have to do it sometime. I don't want to pressure you so I'll wait until you're ready...I meant what I said Maya, I like you and I care about you. Please remember that ok? I'll be here waiting."

"Thanks Cowboy, I just...I have alot going on right now and there are several things I need to sort out before we talk about all of this. I need to tell Riley before you and I do anything else ok?." She said, getting closer and standing on her tippy toes and pulling Lucas' shirt by the collar and kissing him softly on the lips.

"Please just be patient with me."

She left him before he could say anything but not without turning around and seeing a big smile on his face. Lucas' feelings for her could wait. She had other things to worry about like whatever was going on with these headaches and how she was gonna come clean to Riley. Great. She had a lot of explaining to do.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7.

Maya had been acting very strange and Riley was getting tired of it. When she had come home the other night from wherever she was, Riley couldn't get a word out of her.

It was late and she couldn't sleep. She replayed the words Maya had told her days prior. _It's you and me against the world remember? There's no one I trust more in this world than you._ There were several things on her mind. Things she needed to discuss with Maya right now. Bay window. Bay window right now. She made her way to Maya's room and almost felt bad for wanting to wake her up. She used her cellphone light as a guide and made her way to Maya's bed. To her surprise, Maya wasn't there.

"Maya...Peaches?" She called out but there was no answer. Where was she? Riley looked around the apartment walking in and out of all the rooms. She wasn't in the kitchen, the living room or the bathroom. She had one last room to check, the spare room Maya used to paint and assemble all of her pieces. She turned on the light and saw Maya laying there unconscious. "Maya! Maya!" Riley yelled, removing Maya's hair away from her face. "Maya, please wake up. Peaches open your eyes." Riley yelled franticly. Not wasting any more time, she grabbed her phone and dialed 911. "Yes hello...I need an ambulance! My friend is unconscious. Yes she's not waking up! I don't know I just found her like this! Yeah she's barely breathing. I don't know just hurry!"

"Don't worry Peaches you're gonna be fine. Stay with me ya' hear? You can't leave me. Ring power!"

Why? Why hadn't she come into the room sooner? If she had, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

The ambulance came shortly after and two paramedics came in with a stretcher. They ordered Riley to move out of the way so they could work on Maya. Riley did as she was told and watched as the paramedics worked on her best friend. They unbottoned her shirt, took her pulse and blood pressure. They started CPR and one of them took out a long tube and stuck it down her throat and connected it to what seemed like a balloon, squeezing it and pumping air into her lungs.

 _C'mon Maya wake up_ Riley pleaded silently.

They strapped her to the stretcher putting her in the ambulance. Riley ran to Maya's room and grabbed Maya's cellphone that was on her desk. There, she found two folded pieces of paper on Maya's desk. She picked one up and read the first line. _New York City Memorial Hospital._ She was confused but stopped reading. Why did Maya have a letter from the hospital? She picked up the other folded piece of paper and shoved it in her pocket. She locked the door and ran making her way into the ambulance, saying a small prayer once she was settled in.

 _Please don't take her from me. I need her to be ok. Please Peaches you have to be ok._

The rest of the ambulance ride was a blur. All Riley remembered was the way Maya looked and how tight Riley had held onto her hand. They arrived to the hospital and made their way inside. Once there, they told Riley to wait and make herself comfortable. She sat down and got the paper out of her pocket. She unfolded it and read what seemed like a letter from Maya.

 _Hey Riles,_

 _There's something I need to tell you. I've been making secret trips to the hospital. Something's wrong and I don't know what it is. Please don't worry Farkle's dad has been running tests. He hasn't found anything but I'm not giving up. I've been getting headaches and didn't know about that though, I'm sorry I kept this from you. Oh and um speaking of Farkle, he knows too. I made him promise me he wouldn't say anything until I told you so please don't be mad at him. If you're gonna be mad at someone, make that someone be me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I just thought that I wouldn't need to. I thought that I would be able to find a solution before you found out. Although you reading this proves that I didn't. I decided to write this letter in case I got worse. I couldn't bring myself to tell you in person. I didn't want to worry you or see how you would react when I told you. No matter what happens always know that I love you and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me.-Peaches_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8.

She couldn't believe it. Maya had kept this from her. This wasn't just some little secret. This was serious it had to do with Maya's health and now here they were. In a hospital. She hated hospitals. Hospitals were the places people would go to to either get better or die. _No Riley don't think like that. You have to be strong and positive for her. She's gonna be fine. She's gonna wake up. She has to._ Maya had promised her that she would be with her forever so she had to live up to her promise right? Riley looked around seeing the busy hallways fill with nurses and people that were worried for their loved ones. It was funny how things could change in a blink of an eye. One minute Maya was, what she thought was fine and the next she was unconscious and now in the hospital not waking up. Riley needed answers. She needed to know more. He needed to tell her and she was set on finding them from the only person she knew that would.

Farkle. Maya's letter had said he had known. How could he not tell her? How could he keep something like this from her? This was Maya they were talking about.

She got up from her chair and roamed the halls looking for Farkle. She finally found him in the cafeteria slumped in a chair looking at his phone.

"Riley?" He said startled. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you really have to ask Farkle? I think you know better than anyone just exactly what I'm doing here. It's Maya." Riley sighed sitting next to him.

"I...I found her unconscious in her art room, she didn't...hasn't woken up."

"Riley..." Farkle began suddenly stopping himself unable to continue.

"Why didn't you tell me Farkle? How could you not tell me. She's my best friend. I had a right to know. I can't lose her!" Riley said loudly, wiping away a tear that was falling down her face. How could you do that?

"I'm sorry but it wasn't my place to tell you. She told me not to say anything and I couldn't betray her. I don't know much but I do know that my dad is her doctor and he's gonna do everything he can so that she can be better. I'm really sorry Riley. You know how stubborn Maya can be and she promised me she would tell you. Did she? Does Lucas know? I know they're very close."

"Well she didn't tell me. The only reason I found out was because I found her unconscious. I also found a letter on her desk. As for Lucas, he doesn't know. Everthing happened so fast but I'll call him. They aren't really speaking to each other right now though, I don't know what's going on with them. Maya just keeps saying she doesn't want to deal with him, whatever that means? You and I both know how Maya is.

"I'm really sorry Riley. I guess I just trusted that she was going to come clean, I guess I should've known that she wouldn't.

Riley took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking up. "...I can't say I'm jumping for joy, because I am upset with you for not telling me but I understand why you didn't. I just wish I would've known sooner. Maybe this wouldn't have happened and I somehow, maybe could've helped her. Instead, here we are, in a hospital. Farkle gave her a light squeeze on the shoulder.

"C'mon Riley let's go to the waiting room. I can ask around so we can have news on Maya."

Riley got up and followed him. They walked slowly and she made no attempt to try to start a conversation. As much as she loved Farkle, she was very upset with him and only had one thing on her mind. Maya. What was wrong with her?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9.

"Ok so what I've gathered, Maya is still in surgery. The best and only thing we can do right now is wait." Farkle said scratching his head.

Riley couldn't sit still. She couldn't stop thinking about Maya. She paced around the room and decided to call Lucas.

"Hey Lucas I know it's late but it's about Maya. I found her unconscious...yeah we're at the hospital. Ok yeah I'll text you the address. Ok I'll see you in a bit." Riley said, ending the call.

After everything , Riley sat down and tried to process what had just happened in the last hour. She was tired. She hadn't realized just how tired she was until everything around her became blurry and everything went black. Farkle came moments later with a blanket. He felt really bad for not telling Riley about Maya. Maybe if he had said something, things would've turned out a bit differently. He shook that thought off his head and smiled and watched Riley sleep.

He turned around and saw Lucas getting closer.

"Hey man." Farkle greeted Lucas as he walked towards him. Lucas looked really tired and really worried.

"Hey Farkle, how's Maya? Where's Riley?"

"Riley is over there. She fell asleep. I told her I would wake her when I had news on Maya. As for Maya, she's still in surgery. Right now all we can do is wait. Lucas don't worry man. I know you care about her but she's gonna be fine."

"I don't just care about her Farkle. I love her and I can't lose her. Not after everything that happened. She saved my life ya' know. She was amazing, a total badass."

Farkle laughed at that imagining Maya being a 'badass'. His thoughts were interrupted when his dad approached him, a sad look in his eyes.

"Dad, what happened? How's Maya"

Riley woke up and made her way to where the boys were. She got closer to Farkle and rested her head on his shoulder as Farkle put his hand around her waist.

"Riley, boys, the surgery is over but I'm afraid I don't have the best news. I'm sorry but Maya is in a coma. Everything points to Maya having a head injury from a traumatic sequela. What I don't understand is why we couldn't detect it sooner. I'll tell you more when I have more information. In the meantime, I'll run more tests. Do you recall her ever injuring herself?"

"Yeah." Riley spoke. About 4 months ago when she was painting a mural. She fell off the ladder and hit her head. She was taken to a hospital but the doctor said she was fine. He said she only had a slight concussion. How can you stand here and tell me that she in fact _wasn't_ fine and is now in a coma? This doesn't make sense. Maya was fine and now you're telling me that she isn't?"

Minkus said nothing. He couldn't, he was at a loss for words.

"Could I see her?" Riley asked, her voice cracking.

"Of course." Minkus answered. "Farkle could you go with Riley? Maya is in room 503.

"Riley, I read an article a few days ago that said coma patients can hear when a person is talking to them. I know it's hard but I need you to stay positive. She needs to know that regardless of everything, you're ok. You have to be strong for her. You're also gonna wanna prepare yourself for what you're about to see. Maya might not seem like the Maya you remember but remember that she's still in there." Farkle said reaching room 503.

This couldn't be happening. How? Maya was the strongest person she knew. She was an amazon warrior. Riley took a deep breath mentally preparing herself for what she was about to see. Man she really hated hospitals.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10.

Riley entered the room bracing herself for what she was about to see. Farkle wasn't kidding. Maya just looked like she was sleeping peacefully but she was hooked up to a bunch of wires and a tube in her mouth that was helping her breathe. She practically disappeared in the hospital gown she was wearing. Surrounding her were numerous machines, each one doing their job, beeping and hissing in the process. She hated the hissing noise the ventilator was making as oxygen was being pumped into Maya's lungs. It really hurt Riley to see Maya like this. She was definitely not expecting for any of this to happen to her best friend.

"Peaches..." Riley spoke slowly "It's me, Riley. I want you to know that I'm right here and I'm gonna be here when you wake up. I'll handcuff myself to this bed if i have to but I am not leaving until you wake up. Because you are going to wake up right?...Maya?" Riley asked uselessly. She wasn't going to get an answer. Maya was unconscious. Riley wiped a tear running down her face. Farkle had told her to stay positive but she didn't know how long she would be able to keep up her optimistic attitude. There was nothing optimistic about seeing her friend laying there with the life drained out of her hooked up to all of these wires and tubes.

"We promised each other Maya. We promised it would be us against the world, remember? Well I'm gonna need you to keep that promise and open your eyes. Stay with me. Peaches please just stay with me, I need you."

Riley allowed herself to do something she hadn't been able to do since she arrived. She began to cry. She cried for Maya and the state she was in and she cried thinking about life without her if Maya for some far away reason, didn't pull through. She gave Maya's hand a tight squeeze and a soft kiss on her forehead and closed her eyes whispering, "Don't let me down Peaches. I love you." She positioned herself a little better and closed her eyes.

She later woke up to Lucas by her side watching Maya anxiously.

"Lucas-"

"Riley, I'm sorry I didn't want to wake you. I begged Minkus to let me in, I had to see her. How is she?"

"See for yourself. Look at her, I mean she can't even breathe. She's here but she's not really _here_ ya' know?"

"Don't worry Riley. I mean this is Maya we're talking about, she'll pull through.

Lucas studied Riley debating on whether to come clean with her or not. This wasn't the time or the place but he figured he had to tell her about what had happened between him and Maya. She would find out eventually and he felt it was better if he told her.

"Riley, there's something I have to tell you." He began.

She looked up at him a bit confused.

"What is it?" She asked a bit scared.

"...well you and I aren't together anymore...um do you remember the party we attended a few weeks ago?"

She said nothing waiting for him to continue.

"Well without going into details, Maya left the party and saved my life. These guys beat me up and she saved my life. You should've seen her she was awesome! Anyway, that led me to confess my feelings for her. She didn't want to tell you because she was scared you still had lingering feelings for me. I know she's in bad shape right now but I'm hopeful she'll wake up soon and I can tell her exactly how I feel."

"Lucas you don't have to worry about me. What you and I felt, that wasn't love. You and Maya on the other hand, you guys have something you and I never had. I see the way you look at her and the way your eyes light up everytime someone says her name or she walks in the room. All we can do now is wait until she wakes up so you can tell her just how you feel."

Riley looked at the clock on the wall and sighed 2:21 a.m. This was definitely going to be a long night.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11.

One night turned into three and there were still no signs Maya was going to wake up. They were in Maya's room thinking about the time Lucas' had blurted out in class that he wanted Maya to be happy.

"I can't believe you did that Lucas. You really surprised Maya. Do you remember the way she looked at you?"

"How could I forget?...I think that was the day I took responsibility of my feelings for her. I mean, I had feelings for her before that but that day, me saying that, I truly meant it and I thought that maybe she could be happy with...me. But ya' know the years went by and I never told her and although we kept our game going, time went by and I fucked everything up and well, here we are."

"Don't be so hard on yourself Lucas. Maya is bound to wake up and when she does you'll tell her just how you feel and everything will be alright."

"Yeah? When is that huh? Because look at her Riley. Look at her, it's been three days and she still hasn't woken up!...I'm...I''m sorry I just...I can't lose her. I need her to wake up and I feel like an idiot because I couldn't protect her and now she's here, hooked up to tubes and wires and there's nothing I can do." He said, carelessly running a hand through his hair.

"Lucas there was nothing you could've done. You can't control what happens to her. Besides, we had no idea she was going through this."

The hours went by and a nurse had walked in and ordered Lucas and Riley to get as much rest as they could in the waiting room.

Riley opened her eyes in what seemed to be the morning and found Lucas sleeping on one end of the couch and Farkle on the other. She woke up a bit confused wondering where she was when suddenly she remembered everything that had happened the night before. Everything coming back to her like a slap on the face. She was at the hospital because Maya was in the hospital. More specifically, she was in a coma. Riley rubbed her eyes and walked to the desk to ask about Maya.

"Good morning, any news on Maya Hart?"

"Let me see dear. Maya Hart. Oh yes here she is. She's stable but unfortunately, she's still in a coma."

"Thanks," Riley answered flatly. She wished all of this was nothing but a bad dream but it wasn't. She was so lost in thought she didn't even hear Lucas walk up to her.

"Hey I'm gonna go see Maya."

"Ok I'm gonna grab some coffee and wait for Farkle to wake up. His shift doesn't start for another hour so I'm gonna see if he wants to eat breakfast."

"Hey Shortstack. it's me, Huckleberry...I love you. Did you hear me Maya? There, I said it I love you and I'll say a million more times if I have to. Please just wake up. Open those big beautiful blue eyes that I get lost in. You can't leave me Maya. There are still alot of things you have to do. That _we_ have to do. Please just promise me that you'll fight, you have to fight. We love you and care about you. Promise me that you won't leave us. We can't be the core four without you." He finished, grabbing her hand and lacing it with his.

He watched her as she slept. How was it possible that even in the worst condition she still managed to look beautiful? But here she was, with tubes and all, just as radiant as ever. He started reminiscing and talking to her about how his life was in Texas, laughing just thinking about how much teasing he was going to recieve from her once she woke up.

A nurse walked in, stopping him mid sentence.

"I'm sorry I don't mean to interrupt, I just need to do my daily round." She said looking at her chart.

"How is she?" He asked curiously.

"There hasn't been any change." She answered while writing something down on her notes.

"But don't worry. Even though that's not entirely good news, it isn't really bad either. It means that even though she hasn't necessarily gotten better and is still in a comatose state, she hasn't gotten worse. All in all, in these cases that's a good thing...anyway I'll leave you to it. You were really into the story you were telling your girlfriend. I'm sure she loves hearing about your life back in Texas.

Lucas only smiled at her and didn't even think about correcting what she had said. She had called her his girlfriend and Lucas didn't mind in the least because that's exactly what he wanted Maya to be.

"You hear that Shortstack? The nurse just said you were still in pretty good shape. Keep fighting ok? I need you to stay with me. I need you to keep ha-hurring in my face and calling me Huckleberry. I'll let you in on a little secret." He said getting closer to her ear and whispering. "I love it when you do that. I love when you get up in my face and ha-hurr and grab my shirt and pull me towards you." He finished, a small smile forming on his lips.

That moment was cut short when the machines started beeping uncontrollably.

"Maya?" He said her name frantically. "Maya!" He said again cupping her face.

He had spoken to soon.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12.

"Maya listen to me you can't leave me. There are still so many things we need to do together-."

He was interrupted when a nurse and Minkus walked in. They begin working on Maya lifting up her gown.

"Lucas you need to leave. Let us work on Maya, I need you to wait outside."

"No. She needs me, please don't ask me to leave Minkus."

The nurse grabbed his arm and walked him to the door.

"No...please she needs me! Maya, fight! Stay with me, open your eyes!"

It was pointless. They didn't let him stay and he had to leave the room.

He watched as they worked on her. She looked so fragile, broken. He watched as Minkus placed defibrilator pads on her and assenbled the machine. He counted to three and watched as Maya's body was being shocked. _Stay with me Shortstack_ he thought. She looked like a ragdoll in there. What was taking so long? He hated this. He hated seeing Maya like that and not being able to do anything about it. She didn't deserve this. She was the strongest person he knew. How could this be happening to her?

"What happened?" Lucas heard Riley and Farkle ask in unision as they came running to meet him. "Riley and I got hungry so we went to the vending machine and we saw nurses run in this direction." Farkle finished, a bit out of breath.

"I don't understand. She was fine, and then she...wasn't." Lucas said, staring off into the distance. "I was talking to her and then the machines went off and your dad marched in and kicked me out. What's taking so long?" He finished, a hint of anger in his voice. Riley looked between the two boys and motioned for them to get closer and huddle together. "Listen." She said sternly. "Maya is our friend and we have to stick together no matter what. She has to "feel" that we are a strong unit...for _her_. We have to be strong for _her_ ok? So no more being pouty and thinking negatively. My Peaches is the strongest girl I know. She's gonna wake up and soon all of this will be over. We'll soon get our silver lining, you'll see." They all came in for a hug when a door started opening.

Minkus finally came out wiping sweat off his forehead. He looked very pleased with himself and Lucas was thankful.

"Maya pulled through. She went into cardiac arrest but we managed to stabalize her. She's still hooked up to a ventilator and is still unconscious. Her lungs are still very weak but she's fighting. She's a fighter guys. We're going to keep a close eye on her but don't worry she's still there."

"Thank you Mr. Minkus." They all replied. "See? What did I tell you guys, we got our silver lining.

Lucas walked back inside thankful for Maya. Thankful for being such a fighter and not leaving him. He sat down next to her and stroked her hair. He wet a cloth and ran it across her face, carefully wiping off sweat, trying not to touch any tubes. .

"I know you're still in there Maya. I also know that you're gonna wake up soon and when you do, I'll be right here."

He watched her and took a hold of her hand. Suddenly, he felt it. He felt Maya give him a faint squeeze. It was small but it was there.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13.

"Maya?." He questioned. "...Maya can you hear me? Do it again Maya, squeeze my hand."

She then opened her eyes groggily.

"Maya? Can you hear me? It's me, Lucas. You're in the hospital. Let me call Minkus...Maya I can't believe you woke up. I knew you would. I knew you weren't gonna leave me."

He looked at Maya wiping tears from his eyes. She had woken up. She was alive and she was conscious.

She looked at him confused, lifting her hand weakily trying to pull the tube out of her mouth. There was no point, she couldn't do it and Lucas grabbed her hand as quickly as she had lifted it.

"Maya, please don't pull the tube out, it's what's helping you breathe. Let's wait for Minkus ok?"

She squeezed her eyes shut as Lucas pressed on a red button that was on the wall.

Minkus walked in shortly with a smile on his face. He made his way to Maya's bedside with a clipboard and a flashlight in hand.

"Welcome back Maya! You gave us quite a scare but let me tell you you've got some of the best set of friends I've ever seen. They haven't left your side and this one right here? Well let's just say I caught a glimpse of Texas Lucas when he refused to leave the room earlier.

Lucas looked at the ground a bit embarrassed.

"Ok Maya this might be a bit disturbing but I'm going to shine a bright light in your eyes alright? You've been unconscious for some time now."

Maya shifted a bit nervously and Lucas stepped in and held her hand.

Minkus was jotting something in his notes, flipping through the pages.

"Good. Everything seems to be running smoothly...Ok I'm going to remove the tube now. You're breathing will still have to be monitored but you won't need as much help anymore. Ok on the count of three I'm going to pull out the tube and I need you to cough, think you can do that?"

Maya nodded at him instantly.

"Let's begin. On three, ready?...One...two...three!"

Maya coughed as tears formed in her eyes. Minkus wasn't lying, that stupid tube hurt like a bitch.

"You did great Maya. I'll get you some water. Drink slowly, your throat is very dry."

He came back with a cup in hand and placed a straw inside.

"For now, I'm going to put what is called a nasal cannula, a thin strip that will deliver oxygen. It goes in the nostrils. Later tonight, I'll come back and place you on an oxygen mask so you can be monitored through the night. In the meantime, I'll leave you two alone. I'm sure Riley will be happy when I tell her you woke up...Oh and Lucas, try to keep her from talking so much. Her throat will be hurting and she's still a bit weak.

"Not a problem. Thank you Mr. Minkus."

"Well you heard the man. I guess you're stuck listening to me." Lucas said with a small chuckle. He grabbed the chair and sat next to Maya as he held the cup to her mouth and she drank slowly.

"Lucas." She spoke hoarsely. "What happened? What am I doing here?"

"Sshh Maya. Try not to talk. You heard Minkus."

"Answer the question Lucas. What happened?" She asked, letting out a small cough.

"Maya-"

"Lucas-"

He sighed, putting his hands up in defeat. "You were in a coma. You have been for almost a week."

"A coma?" She asked, her eyes travelling all around the room.

"Yes. Riley found you unconscious and you were brought to the hospital. Minkus found the cause of all your headaches and you had surgery. Apparently something went wrong and that led to you being in a coma."

He looked at her unable to read her face.

"...but everything is ok now, you woke up...Do you remember anything?"

"...no...the last thing I remember is talking to you out in the rain" She answered, closing her eyes and sinking into the covers.

"Peaches!" Riley screamed bursting through the door. "I knew it! I always knew you would keep your promise. You came back to me Maya." Riley said plopping down on Maya's bed. She was so happy. Her best friend had come back to her and Maya couldn't help but smile.

"How ya' doin' Honey?" Maya asked, reaching for Riley's hand to hold.

"Are you kidding? Maya, how do you think? I just got you back."

Riley couldn't help but stare at Maya. This was alot to take in. Silence filled the room until Riley spoke up again.

"Peaches promise me..."

"...Riley."

"Seriously Maya, promise me you won't keep anything from me ever again. I don't want to have to go through something like this. Ever."

"Riles.."

"No Maya. I don't want to have to go through that again. You were in a coma. I don't want to have to see you like that ever again. The only way for you to get sick is if you get a cold, that's it. Right Lucas?"

"I wish it were that easy Riley." Lucas answered.

"...I promise." Maya finally answered.

Riley cleared her throat, looked at her watch and got up from the bed. "Minkus told me to visit for a short while so you could rest. I'll leave you two alone, I'll be in the waiting room. I love you Maya."

"I love you too Riles. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lucas opened the door so Riley could leave and went back to Maya.

"How are you feeling?" He asked concerned.

"I'm tired and sore."

"You should get some sleep. Don't worry, I'll be right here when you wake up."

"No I'm tired of sleeping. I've been sleeping for days."

"Maya you need to rest. It's getting late. Don't be stubborn.

Lucas caressed Maya's face and started humming in an attempt to get her to fall asleep. It seemed to be working because her speech was slurred and her eyes were droopy.

She had finally fallen asleep when the nurse from earlier in the day walked in.

"Hey!" She greeted happily. "She woke up, you must be happy."

"I am. She really scared me and I'm glad she's ok. I don't know what I would've done if she wasn't.

The nurse smiled and held on to Maya's head with one hand, while carefully placing an oxygen mask over her face with the other.

Lucas watched as she gently placed Maya's head back on the pillow.

"We're going to monitor her breathing for the night." She said, glancing at Lucas who had a worried look on his face.

"I was wondering..." He spoke up slowly. "Could I stay and sleep here? I don't want to have to leave her and I promised her I would be here when she woke up."

"Of course you can um...?"

"Lucas...sorry, my name's Lucas."

"Right. Of course you can Lucas. I'll make sure to bring a blanket and a pillow so you can be a little more comfortable."

She left the room and came back with a pillow, a blanket and an extra chair. He put the two chairs together to form a bed and gave Maya a kiss on the cheek as she slept peacefully. The sun was setting and Lucas was exhausted.

"Sweet dreams Shortstack." He said as he watched her chest rise and he closed his eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

 **Hey guys sorry I had to re-upload the chapter cuz I found a mistake I had to fix.**

 _Days Later_

 _"_ Huckleberry will you calm down and sit with me?"

They were both at Lucas' apartment and he kept pacing back and forth all around the living room, biting on his nail. Maya was growing impatient. He had called her to come over and had said he needed to talk to her and twenty minutes later, there hadn't been any actual talking. "You said you wanted to see me. Are you gonna tell me what I'm doing here or not?" Lucas finally stopped pacing, looked at her and sat down. _C'mon Friar you can do this. She needs to know._ He thought. He cracked his knuckles, recieving a nervous wide eyed look from Maya.

"You ok there Cowboy? She asked a bit nervously.

"No...yeah I'm good, great actually." He answered with the same nervousness as she.

"Tell that to your face. You look terrified." She said, letting out a chuckle.

"Ok Maya, there's something I have to tell you and I'm freaking out and there's no easy way for me to say this so I'm just gonna say it."

"Lucas?-" She asked getting up. "What did you do? What happened?"

He got up from the couch grabbing her hand and carressing it with his thumb. It was now or never. He wanted to change, for _her_. He was done wasting time and knew that all he wanted to do was be with her and make her happy.

"Maya, when you were in the hospital, seeing you like that broke my heart. I felt useless and empty. All I wanted was to protect you and when you were there, I realized I couldn't do anything. But now, now I can. I don't want to lose you Maya. I'm done being an asshole. I'm done wasting time. I want to be with you Maya." He said, closing the space between them. He kissed her, cupping her face and running his thumb down her cheek and finally tangling his hand in her hair. She was taken aback. She wasn't really expecting this but she wrapped herself in that kiss almost instantly. She felt his warm breath as his lips gave into hers. She had forgotten just how good of a kisser he was. She missed this. She missed feeling him close to her. She missed how he made her feel.

"Wait. wait." She said a little out of breath, stepping back. "What are you saying Huckleberry?"

"I'm saying I love you. I love you Maya Penelope Hart. I. Love. You." He said, a big smile on his face.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying to process what he was saying. Was he crazy? How could he say he loved her? She was broken and scarred and the people she had in her life always left her. He was to important to her for her to run the risk of losing him.

"Everyone leaves me Lucas." She said finally speaking up and looking at him in the eyes. It hurt her to see him this happy when all she was going to do was crush him. His eyes were burning into her, watching her closely.

"Everyone important in my life leaves me and I'm not saying this so you can feel sorry for me, I'm saying this because it's true."

"I'm not going to leave you Maya. Look at me I'm right here and I will always be here. I love you. I love how you make me feel and how you made me want to become a better person. I love how when I first came here, you gave me a chance and didn't judge me based on my past. _Although I fucked it up as the years went by and made you feel like shit._ I love when you call me names. Huckleberry being my favorite. I also love when you ha-hurr me and pull me by the shirt. He winked at her on the last part. "But most importantly, I love _you_ for the person _you_ are and the person I want to become because my life has you in it."

"Really?" She asked a bit hopeful.

"With all of my heart and with all of my being." He stepped closer to her so she could look at him. " I love you Maya. I truly love you. Do you believe me? Tell me you believe me."

She looked into his eyes as his trailed down to her lips. Who was she kidding? She loved this man and she was going to risk everything she feared to be with him. _You deserve this Maya. You deserve to be happy with him._ She grabbed his shirt collar and tugged him and kissed him. She kissed him with all the intensity and passion and strength her body, five foot and all allowed. She laced a hand in his, before finding her way to his neck. She put a hand on his chest feeling his heartbeat. His heart that was beating for _her_.

"I..love you...too Huckleberry." She said, in between breaths.


	16. Chapter 16

**Is Maya the only one who has a middle name out of the core four that we know about? Well, Lucas now has one now too and I made it up! Anyway, Lucaya date:**

Chapter 15

Maya was searching through her closet lookiing for something to wear and it needed to be different than anything she had ever worn. Lucas and Maya had been dating for a few weeks now and today was a very special day.

"Hey Peaches, did you find something to wear yet?" Riley asked stepping into the room. She had a bowl of cereal in her hand and sat down on the bed and watched as Maya threw items of clothing in all directions.

"No!"She answered exasperated trying not to step on the clothes. "Help me Riles. This night is very important to me and I want to look my best."

"Whoa Maya. I've never seen you like this before. Lucas really is important to you." She said, with a devious smile forming on her lips.

"Of course he is Riley. I love him. I didn't know I could love him this much, but I do. He's important to me and I want to show him, on this date, just how much."

"Ya' know he's still going to think you're the most beautiful girl no matter what you wear right?" Riley asked, setting her bowl on Maya's nightstand.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Maya asked, ignoring Riley's previous comment.

Without a word, Riley got up from the bed and went through Maya's dresses, looking at each piece carefully. Maya started fidgeting and examining her hands and Riley could tell she was a nervous wreck.

"Ok." Riley spoke up, catching Maya's attention. "...why don't you start getting ready for your date? You still have to do your hair and makeup. Go get ready and I'll stay here and look for a dress."

"Alright." Maya answered as Riley grabbed her by the shoulders and walked her out. "I'll be in the bathroom."

Maya wanted this night to be perfect. She knew Lucas wouldn't care what she wore but by his tone of voice and the fact that he was giving her really vague answers to all of her questions, she knew he was planning something good. She shook all of those thoughts out of her head. She trusted Riley and knew she was going to pick something great for her to wear. Instead, she decided to put all of her focus on her hair and makeup. She got to work. First on her hair, putting it up and splitting it into sections, careful not to burn herself. She decided to curl it, watching as strands of hair fell like cascades. She worked fast and was done with her hair in less than thirty minutes. She then started on her makeup, deciding to do the smokey eye look.

"How's it going over there?" Maya yelled

"It's going great. You just work on finishing up." Riley answered.

She decided to go with Plan B and switched to her closet. Maya had pretty dresses but she needed something _more_.

"Where are you? Where are you?" Riley said out loud looking for the dress. It was new and she had never worn it, making this the perfect occasion for Maya to use. "Ahh yes, here you are!" She exclaimed loudly, taking it out of the bag.

She held it up, admiring its features. It was a beautiful backless black sequin dress with long sleeves and she was sure Maya would look amazing in it. Moments later, Maya walked in slowly and eyed the dress with a big smile,

"Riley I can't-"

"Nonsense! You are wearing this dress Maya."

"This is your dress Riley. I can't just-"

"Of course you can. You know why? Because I want you too. You're wearing this dress tonight and you are going to have an amazing time with Lucas. That's an order."

 _Date Night_

"Maya."

"Huckleberry. What's all _this_?" She asked, wonderment filling her eyes.

"Maya you look...beautiful. You _are_ beautiful"

"Thanks Huckleberry, you clean up nicely yourself."

He was wearing all black, with the exception of the white collar and sleeve cuffs on his shirt. He stepped closer to her, grabbing her hand and guiding her to get a closer look. He watched her as her eyes lit up, taking in what she was seeing. He had put together and decorated a table so they could eat dinner and had hung lights on a tree. It was beautiful.

" _This_ is our date Maya. I...uhh worked really hard on this. I hope you like it." He glanced at her with a sparkle in his eyes.

"You did all of this, you put this all together?" She asked amazed.

He smiled at her very pleased with himself. She really liked it. The smile on her face proved it and he never wanted her to not smile.

"That smile looks great on you Shortstack. Never lose it."

"I really wanted to see you. I missed you." She said, getting up from her chair and sitting on his lap. She gave him a light kiss on the lips, caressing them with her thumb.

"Not as much as me." He said staring into her big blue eyes. "When you're not with me I really miss you and when you are, I never want you to leave."

"I love you Lucas James Friar. I never thought I could love a person, let alone that person be you with the intensity that I do. But here I am, sitting on your lap, wearing a black dress, outside, surrounded by twinkly lights loving you."

"And I love you Maya Penelope Hart. It took me a long time to get my act together and prove to you that I do, but I'm here now. I caught up."

She smiled at that and pulled him into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder. She got up from his lap and sat down on her chair, watching him leave and coming back with an ice chest and a picnic basket. She tilted her head to the side, brows furrowed and watched him carefully. After all, he was a huckleberry and she didn't know what to expect at times.

"Don't be scared Maya. I just prepared everything so we could have a nice dinner. Over here I have sandwiches." He said, pointing to the basket as he got them out. "And here, I have fresh cheese, strawberries, grapes and wine." He looked at her, while opening the ice chest.

He assembled all the contents on the table and opened the wine bottle, stepping back, careful not to hurt anyone. He poured wine into two glasses and fixed her plate and handed it to her. They ate and laughed and reminisced over everything that happened in their lives that led to this moment. They were moments like this that they didn't want to end. There was one more thing that he wanted to do to end the night right. He got up, dusted his hands and pulled out his phone from his pocket and putting it on the table.

"We need music." He said, standing in front of her and extending his hand. "Miss Hart, can I have this dance?"

She placed her hand in his and followed as they walked. He had chosen instrumental violin music. Perfect for the occasion.

"I didn't know a cowboy like you had such exquisite taste in music Huckleberry." She spoke up after a comfortable silence.

"Well you learn something new everyday. This music is soothing and sometimes you enjoy the music more when you really pay attention to the sounds all of the instruments make and how beautiful they sound when they come together...like us and how we're together and this is beautiful because now we're ready for each other."

She couldn't help but laugh, He was such a romantic. "That was so cheesy! You are so cheesy Sundance."

"Maybe I am, but it's true."

She said nothing at that. Instead, she pulled him closer and closed her eyes, enjoying the music and his company. Slowly, she rested her head on his chest and her hands around his neck. He felt warm against her cool skin and a small shiver ran down her spine. She felt as their bodies molded together to the pace of the music, as if, in this moment, nothing else mattered except for them. Nothing could ruin it. They were both together, outside, in their own little world dancing and that's how Maya always wanted it to be.

 **Hope you enjoyed! Thank you to the people who have left a positive review that means alot! Ok, next chapter is a time jump and...Texas!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

"So what do you say Shortstack?" Lucas spoke up, unsure of Maya's answer.

She was very nervous. How could she not be? She was possibly going to meet Lucas' mother, if she said yes. He watched her as she paced around the room and started rearranging things on the coffee table that didn't necessarily need rearranging.

"Maya?" He said her name this time.

"I...I don't know Lucas. I mean sure I would love to meet your mother, she sounds great but I can't just leave Riley and I've never even been outside of New York. How will we be getting there? _If_ I decide to go with you?"

He let out a chuckle. Of course Maya would think of Riley before deciding to do anything but there was no way she _wasn't_ going to go with him. _I kinda need you to go because I already bought the plane tickets and they are nonrefundable._

"Don't be silly Shortstack. Texas will be great, you'll love it and you'll love my mom just like she loves you. Riley isn't a problem. She can stay here...with Farkle. She'll be fine and as far as transportation goes, we're going on a plane."

"A...plane? Can't we just _drive_ there? We can take your car and I'll help you drive. Yeah I'll help you drive. That sounds like a better idea. Scratch that, it _is_ a better idea." She finished, throwing her hands in the air nervously.

" _Or_ we could go on a plane because I already bought the tickets and we'll get there faster if we go on a plane rather than driving, unless you're scared? Is that why you don't want to go, because you're scared of getting on a plane?"

She looked at him quizzically. "Wait...you already bought the tickets? So this conversation is pointless because the tickets are already paid for. I mean of course I'm going but it seems like you had this planned out already."

"I just thought you wouldn't say no and you didn't so that's great. Ok, so you and I are going to Texas and it'll be awesome." He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips and a soft smile. "I'll see you tomorrow ok? The flight leaves tomorrow at noon so start packing babe. See you then."

Maya closed the door and sat down on the couch. Ok, she was going to Texas, with Lucas, to meet his mother, and they were going to get there by flying on a plane.

"Maya, what's with all the clothes?" Riley asked, slowly entering the room. Maya had suitcases and clothes scattered all across her room. She needed this trip to be great and she needed the best things to go with her.

"Riles, you're back! Good because we need to talk." She said opening up a suitcase and shoving things inside.

"Maya what's going on?"

"Lucas and I are going to Texas. I'm going to Texas to meet his mom." She waited for Riley to say something but she just looked at her a bit confused.

"...I'm going to meet Lucas' mother, Riley. Aren't you gonna say anything?"

"Yeah...no sorry I'm just trying to process what you just said. So you're going to Texas? That's great Peaches! I'm sure you'll have fun and Lucas' mother will be great and you'll have a great time."

"Look I know you and I have never been that far apart but this is good right? I mean I am coming back and you'll be fine right? You can call Farkle and he can stay here while I'm gone."

"Maya don't worry about me. You go on this Texas trip ok? I'll be fine." Riley pulled Maya into a hug and helped her pack, making a list of everything Maya was going to need.

 _The Next Day_

"Maya I want you to have fun on this trip. Be safe ok? I love you."

"I love you too Riles. I'll call you as soon as we land and I'll keep you updated."

"Oh and Lucas..." Riley called out while he was putting their suitcases in the trunk of the cab. He looked up a bit surprised. "Please take care of her. She means the world to me and I want her to enjoy herself."

"I'll take care of her Riley. Don't worry." He smiled at her and grabbed Maya's hand.

He opened the cab door and Maya hopped in and peeked her head out the window and waved at Riley. Watching Riley become smaller and smaller until finally she disappeared. This was it. In just several hours she would be in Texas.

 _Landing_

"So you were scared of getting on a plane. I never thought I'd see the day, you Maya Penelope Hart, afraid of planes." He said, earning a glare from Maya.

"Planes are dangerous ok? There are safer ways to travel and I prefer to stick to ground when doing so." She finished, in a _matter of fact_ tone as she studied her surroundings. They had gathered all of their luggage and were headed out the door. Lucas had been rather quiet on the plane and she thought now was the perfect time to ask him what was wrong.

"You ok Lone Star?" She waited a few seconds but he didn't respond. "Lucas?" She said his name this time, which caught his attention.

"What? Yeah I'm ok. I'm great, this is going to be fun. You're going to love it here."

She wasn't completely convinced but decided to not push him. If something was bothering him, he would tell her.

 _Momma Friar's House_

"Ok, so I'm not gonna lie, I'm really nervous but that's normal right? I just have to relax and be cool. She loves me and she sounds great. It'll be fine yeah?" Maya asked as they were making their way up the stairs and she was fixing her dress. A chill ran up her spine but she didn't know if it was nerves or the cool crisp Texas air.

"Don't be nervous. I'm here with you." Lucas answered, waving a boquet of flowers had bought his mother. He took a deep breath, turned the knob and both entered the house.

"Momma, I'm home." He yelled out.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

"Luke honey is that you?" A woman called out, coming from the kitchen. She had a big smile on her face and her eyes lit up as she approached her son. She was beautiful, just a few inches taller than Maya. She had long, dirty blonde hair and green eyes, just like Lucas and she seemed very elegant, making Maya feel a bit out of place. She gave her son a big hug and let out a laugh.

"Hey Momma, how are you? Look, there's someone I want you to meet. This is my girlfriend Maya."

"Hello Mrs. Friar. It's nice to finally meet you. Lucas has spoken wonderful things about you." Maya said, extending her hand for the woman to shake.

"Luke what a lovely surprise. I didn't know you were coming. I'm so happy you're here! Are you hungry? Come to the kitchen."

Maya put her hand down slowly and felt her eyes burning into Lucas' soul. He could feel Maya's eyes on him but couldn't bring himself to look at her.

 _Back In New York_

"So how do you think Maya's doing?" Farkle asked, taking a bite of his pizza. Riley had called him to tell him of Maya's trip and didn't hesitate to pack his stuff and stay with her in light of Maya's absense.

"Well, she was a bit nervous but overall excited. She's never been to Texas and I think this will be good for her. She'll see new scenery and spend more time with Lucas _._ " She said, sitting down next to him. "So what movie would you like to watch?" She asked, making her way to the DVD player. "Ok, Project Almanac it is!" She answered, not giving him a chance to respond. She put the movie in and sat down next to Farkle. He watched her as she focused on the screen. There was something different about her and it was hard for him to focus on the movie when she was sitting so close. He tried to avert his eyes to the screen but it was impossible. He straightened up, shifted his body and kissed her. It was sweet and better than he had ever imagined.

"What was _that_?" She asked, a little shocked.

" _That_ was something I've been wanting to do for a while now." He answered with a smile.

... _In Texas_

"...Shortstack would you like more lemonade?" Lucas asked Maya a second time.

"What? Sorry, no I'm fine. I'm actually really tired so I'm going to bed. Goodnight Mrs. Friar." Maya got up from the table and headed upstairs after Lucas' mother didn't even bother to look up from the photo album she was holding. After dinner, she spent the evening going through scrapbooks and photo albums, remeniscing on Lucas' childhood. Maya was very confused but one thing she was sure of, Lucas' mother wasn't how he described her. Maya spent the day trying to get to kmow her better and instead got ignored. It was very clear Lucas never mentioned her to his mother at all. She was mad and hurt and all she wanted to do was go back to New York. _Relax Maya. Don't jump to conclusions. Mrs. Friar is a sweet person alright? Today was just a rough day. Sure you're furious with Lucas and you are going to have a serious talk, but right now all you can do is sleep on it._

"What was that about?" Lucas asked his mother, very annoyed.

"Honey, please don't ruin what is left of this beautiful night." She looked up at him, closing the album.

"You promised me you would give her a chance mother. We talked about this. Please, give her a chance, for me."

"I said I would talk about this with you, in person Lucas. But that did not mean for you to come to Texas, unannounced and bring her with you."

"I just thought that if you met her, you would change your opinion about her. She's amazing and she's strong and I love her. I thought you would understand that and be civil and respectful. But instead, you ignored her and made her feel bad. I told her you really liked her and were anxious to meet her but..." She cut him off.

"Well that's what happens when you make assumptions and lie to people Lucas. I don't like this girl. She's not the kind of girl you associate with. I don't like her for you Lucas so don't expect me to be ok with this relationship."

"You don't even know her mother. If you would just give her a chance, you'd realize just how wonderful she is." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"I've seen enough of her Lucas. End of story."

 **Why was Lucas nervous? Looks like Momma Friar isn't fond of Maya after all...**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

"Maya, are you up?"

"Yeah, I can't sleep and I've been waiting for you so we can talk."

Lucas closed the door and sat on the bed beside Maya. He had a lot of explaining to do but he wasn't sure where he was going to begin. His mother had been very disrespectful to Maya and he really wanted to fix this.

"I'm waiting." Maya said, tapping her fingers on her thigh.

"What's wrong Huckleberry, cat got your tongue?" She asked, eyeing him carefully.

"Ok you won't say anything so I will. Let's start with the fact that you lied. Why did you lie to me Lucas? Why did you say your mother really liked me, when it's clear she doesn't even want me here and I don't know why."

"Maya I'm sorry. I lied to get you here so my mother could get to know you better without opposing. I had to catch her by surprise. Otherwise she would have never accepted for you to come. I didn't mean for any of this to happen and I will talk to her. You'll see, she'll come around. Once she really gets to know you, she'll realize just how great you are." He said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"I hope so Lucas because I don't like that my boyfriend's mother doesn't like me. I was really excited about this trip and I really want her to like me because you and I are together."

"I'll talk to her ok? In the meantime, get some rest. I want to show you around town tomorrow. It'll be great...and don't forget, I love you."

"I love you too Huckleberry." She said wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly on the lips.

"Oh so I guess this kiss indicates that you aren't mad at me anymore?"

"No, this kiss means that I love you, but I'm still mad at you. You lied to me Lucas but I do know that we'll fix this. Together."

Lucas left with a small smile on his face and closed the door. Tomorrow would be different. Better. Lucas would talk to his mother and everything would be alright. She was ready, tomorrow would be a new day.

 _In New York_

The rain trickled down the windows and Riley could hear the wind getting louder and louder. Thunder dancing in the corners. _Boom!_ That caused her to jump out of her bed. On days like this she would knock on Maya's door and sleep with her. It was ironic really. She and Maya had a catchphrase: Thunder and Lightning but the reality of it was, thunder freaked Riley out. So she did the next best thing, sure Maya wasn't home but Farkle was. So she grabbed her blanket and headed to "Farkle's room".

"Hey Farkle?" Riley said, her voice a whisper. "I know it's late but..."

He turned on the lamp on the nightstand and answered her quickly. "Of course you can Riley. I was actually waiting for you."

"You were?" She asked, jumping on the bed.

"Yeah I was because well, I was expecting this. I know you're scared of this weather and I knew it was just a matter of time before you came through that door."

She laughed at that a bit embarrassed, burying her face in her hands.

"You know me so well Farkle." She answered after letting the red wash of her face. They sat on the bed in silence for a while until Riley spoke up. "Hey Farkle." She began, carefully collecting her thoughts.

"Yeah?" He answered questioningly.

"What happened earlier, what was that? The kiss I mean."

"I think you just answered your own question Riley. It was that, a kiss."

"Yeah I meant , _why._ Why did you kiss me Farkle?" She asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Did you not like it?" He asked a bit regretful.

"No I did. It was great. I just want to know what this means now. Does this change things between us?"

"It does if you want it too. I really like you Riley. I have feelings for you and you have my heart." He put a hand on his chest and 'ripped' his heart out. "Here." He said, putting his 'heart' in his hand and handing it to her. "Take it. It's yours and if you accept, I want you to be my girlfriend. What do you say?" He asked, looking deep into her eyes.

"Yes. I say yes!" She answered, kissing him on the lips.

Farkle got up from the bed and grabbed his pillow and some blankets. He spread them out on the floor and told Riley to sleep on the bed. She obeyed and made herself comfortable. After Farkle was situated on the floor, Riley spoke up, with a big smile on her face. "Hey Farkle, this is great! We're together. Maya and Lucas are together and now we can go on double dates!" She said excitedly as she peeked her head below so she could catch Farkle's reaction.

"That sounds great Riley. We need to wait for them to come back though before we plan anything, don't you think?"

"You're right. I'm just really excited!"

"I am too." He said with a smile. "Goodnight Riley."

"Goodnight Farkle."

 **Ok so Lucaya is together, Riarkle is together. Good. What do you think will happen next?**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

The sun burst in through Maya's window, causing her to wake up before she really wanted to. The sheets felt soft against her skin but she decided to get up and start getting ready for the day. Lucas had said he wanted to show her around town, so she got all of her things and hopped in the shower.

"Oh, good you're up." Mrs. Friar said as she walked into the kitchen to grab an apple.

"Good morning Mrs. Friar." Maya answered nervously. "I didn't see Lucas, do you know where he is?" Maya asked, grabbing an orange.

"I sent him to town to run some errands for me. That way you and I will have a chance to talk."

"Oh, ok. Mrs. Friar that sounds great. We do need to talk, I think you and I got off on the wrong foot yesterday and I would like to start over with you. Lucas and I are together and-."

"Not for long." Mrs. Friar answered coldly.

"What?"

"My son has told me alot about you Maya. He says he loves you and I don't doubt that, but that doesn't mean I'm ok with this relationship. Now, I'm not saying I don't like _you_. I'm sure you're a fine girl, I just don't like _you_ with _him_. He keeps going on about how I need to give you a chance and he was very specific this morning about being civil and respectful with you, but this is something I can't ignore."

"What do you mean you don't like me with him?" Maya asked, scooting a stool so she could sit down.

"Exactly that. I don't want you to be with my son Maya. I believe you are a bad influence for him and instead of helping him, in the longrun, you are going to destroy him. I've heard about your father. He left you when times got tough and that's not something I want for Lucas. Children tend to take after their parents and I don't want my son to fall even more in love with you and you decide that you don't want to be with him and leave him. And I, as a mother, want to avoid all of that. Like father like...well daughter in your case, right?"

"Wrong." Maya answered, feeling tears forming in her eyes. "You're wrong Mrs. Friar, I'm nothing like my father. I'm not a leaver alright? I'm a stayer and whether you like it or not, with all the respect you deserve, I'm staying with him. I don't plan on leaving Lucas. I love him and he loves me." Maya answered, angrily getting up from her seat and leaving Mrs. Friar in the kitchen. She had had enough of this. Now she knew why Mrs. Friar didn't like her but in all honesty, she was very surprised at her reasoning.

"Don't take this the wrong way darling. I just want what's best for my son." She called out.

Maya headed upstairs to get ready. She had plans with Lucas and Mrs. Friar's sudden outburst wasn't going to ruin her day.

 _In New York_

"Good morning Farkle."

"Good morning Riley. How did you sleep?" He asked, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Better than you I suppose." Riley answered, giving Farkle a kiss on the cheek.

They headed to the kitchen to start on breakfast. Riley got out eggs, bacon and a bowl, while Farkle opened the cupboard and got the pancake mix. They worked fast. They were hungry.

"We make a good team." Farkle said, as Riley was putting eggs and bacon on a plate.

"We do, don't we?" She answered, kissing him softly.

"Ok now _this_ is the proper way to start a morning. Remind me to sleep over more often." He said, putting his arm around her waist.

They ate their food and got ready for the day. Farkle had something special planned and he couldn't wait to tell Riley about it. He had to be careful because it was a surprise and he didn't want to ruin it.

 _Later In Texas_

 _"_ So this place is called Chubby's Bar and Grill. They have the best ribs in town and amazing performances. Hey, maybe you could sing! Would you like that?" Lucas asked, opening the door and letting Maya step inside.

"Huckleberry, I don't sing." She answered casually.

"Sure you do Shortstack. You like to sing while you paint. Actually, you sing any chance you get. What's wrong, don't think I haven't noticed you've been a little checked out since we left the house. Did something happen while I was gone?" He asked, concern written all over his features.

"Nothing happened Cowboy. I just...don't want to sing today that's all." Not even Riley would've believed her but it seemed like Lucas didn't have a choice.

Lucas got them a table and headed to the bar to get them some drinks. Maya took a seat as she took a good look. The walls were painted a burgundy color with hay bales in the corners. The place smelled like wood and Maya knew this was something she could get used to.

"Here you go." Lucas said, handing Maya a drink and scooting his chair closer to her.

"Ok Shortstack, get ready to have one of the best evenings of your life. The food here is great, the music is wonderful and, I'm here with you." He said, leaning in to give her a kiss.

"Cheers." Maya said, raising her glass. "For giving me the chance to come to Texas with you and for showing me a piece of your life that I only knew from stories."

He smiled at her, and Maya tried to return the smile but Mrs. Friar's words kept running in the back of her head. She had no intention on telling Lucas, if she did, he would get into an argument with his mother and Maya didn't want that. So she pushed the thoughts aside and tried to enjoy her night.

"Lucas?" Maya heard a voice call out.

"Jessie?" Lucas answered surprised. "Hey! Come here, it's good to see you."

The girl got closer and sat down at their table. She had dark brown hair and green eyes. She was a bit on the lanky side but she seemed sweet.

"Maya, this is Jessie. We used to be neighbors when we were kids. Jessie this is my girlfriend Maya."

"Oh, your girlfriend? Lucas Friar you've still got it. She's beautiful." She said, a bit covetously.

"Thanks. Nice to meet you Jessie." Maya answered.

The girls started talking. Jessie reminiscing on Lucas' childhood and how their life was before he moved. Later, one drink turned into several and Maya excused herself to go to the restroom.

"Hey Luke." Jessie began. "You look better than ever." She said, giggling and running a hand through his hair.

"Th...thanks." Lucas said hiccuping.

"Why didn't you tell Maya that we dated before? Did...did our relationship not mean...anything to you?" She asked, getting closer.

His head was hurting and it was hard to focus. He had way to much to drink. _Damnit_. He tried getting up but he lost his balance and Jessie caught him and positioned him so that she could stare into his eyes.

"Let go of me Jessie." He said coldly.

She didn't listen to him and got a tighter grip on his shirt.

"Jessie...let go. I-."

Before he knew it, she pressed her lips to his and dug her nails into his back.

Maya positioned her phone closer to her ear and headed out of the bathroom. "Yes Riley I know. I miss you too Honey. You do? Well c'mon spill, what's the big news?"..."Hey Riles, I gotta go. Yeah, no change of plans. I'll see you soon." She hung up and stormed out of the restaurant through the back door. She had just seen Lucas kissing Jessie.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20

"...The city is so bright we can't even see the stars." Farkle said as he and Riley walked through a bridge. He had everything set. A nice dinner in their favorite restaurant, tickets to see Riley's favorite play,"Our Town". and lastly, a night stroll through the park.

"Riley?...Hello earth to Riley? Babe, I know I said that you and I should go to Mars but could you come down to earth for a second?" Farkle asked, stopping in his tracks and getting her attention.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry love it's just...I never told you, Maya called me."

"She did, what did she say?"

"Yeah she called while you were paying, back at the restaurant. She wanted to check in and tell me how everything was going but she sounded...off." Riley explained, getting a worried look on her face.

"I'm sure it's nothing Riley. You know how Maya is. Besides, if something was wrong, she'd tell you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Riley answered and linked her arm to Farkle's, pulling him close and giving him a kiss. "That's just Maya being Maya."

 _In Texas..._

"Yes...Ok thank you."

Maya had booked a flight to New York. She was leaving, there was no point in her staying, this trip had turned into a disaster. She told the cab driver to wait for her and hopped out, rushing inside the house to grab her things. Luckily, she never got any of her clothes out of her suitcase,so she could leave faster.

The house was quiet. She saw a note on the kitchen counter that read: _Out with the girls!_

Mrs. Friar wasn't home. _Good._ Less explaining to do. Tugging out all of her belongings, Maya closed the door, got in the cab and gave the driver instructions to take her to the airport. _So long was_ _ **not**_ _nice knowing you._

She arrived at the airport and paid for her ticket. In just a few hours, she would be back in New York, with Riley, where she never should've left in the first place.

 _Chubby's Bar and Grill_

"Stop following me Jessie...I have to find...Maya." Lucas said very annoyed.

"Yeah? What about us huh? Lucas we just kissed, that has to mean something!"

"No, correction, _you_ kissed me. It doesn't mean anything, you and I aren't together anymore. What we had, that was a long time ago." He answered, walking ahead of her.

She had to jog to keep up with him, something she was having trouble with because of her heels and the fact that she was buzzed. She finally caught up to him and grabbed his arm. Earning a look of disgust from a very annoyed Lucas.

"Lucas, I just got you back. You think you coming here and me bumping into you doesn't mean anything? What a coincidence that we bumped into each other. Luke, please! That Macy girl, she'll never be able to make you happy like I did."

"Her name is Maya and you need to let this go, desperate doesn't look good on you Jessie. Please, leave me alone. I have to find her." He said, walking away and getting in his truck.

 _Momma Friar's House_

Lucas ran into the house and yelled her name. No answer. He climbed up the stairs and much to his dismay, all of her things were gone. _She_ was gone.

"Luke, honey I'm home."

Lucas came downstairs, out of breath running a hand through his hair.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" Mrs. Friar asked confused, setting her keys on a nearby table.

"Maya, mother. Where is she? All of her things are gone."

"Well now honey, that is a question you should be asking yourself. She was with you wasn't she?"

He got his phone out and dialed her number. No answer. He was worried, he messed up, again and he had to fix this. He had to find her.

"Now if you ask me, I think her leaving was a very wise choice. Although, ironically she said the oppisite when we spoke earlier and I told her-."

"What do you mean when you spoke earlier mother? What did you say to her?"

Mrs. Friar looked scared. She didn't mean for Lucas to find out but she had no choice, she had to come clean.

"Answer me! What did you say?"

She was at a loss for words. Her voice, coming out a whisper.

"I...I told her I wasn't pleased with her and you together and I advised her to leave you before things got worse. She assured me that wasn't going to happen but, well, here we are." She finished, meeting his gaze.

"You told her to leave me? Why would you do that? Mother, I love her and nothing you do will ever change that."

"Well don't blame all of this on me. She said she wasn't going to leave you so that means something must've happened when you two were together. Did anything happen Luke?"

Lucas closed his eyes and thought hard. They were having a good time, enjoying the food and the music when Jessie came over. _Jessie._

"Damnit. Jessie. I saw Jessie and we started drinking."

"And?" The woman asked curiously.

"...And Jessie...kissed me. Maya was gone and she must've seen us. No, damnit! I'm such an idiot!"

"Honey, now I know I said I didn't like you and Maya together but she seems like a fine girl who didn't deserve this. Poor thing. Lucas you have to fix this. I did not raise a cheater."

"What do mean? Mother you contradict yourself. First you say you don''t like Maya and now you want me to get her back?"

"Yes. Because I realize how much you love her and how much she loves you. I wanted her to leave you, but not like this and no matter what I say, you aren't going to stop loving her. I'm sorry son. If you're happy then I'm happy for you...and Maya. Now give me a kiss, go pack your bags and get out of here."

"Thank you mother I love you."

"I love you too son. Send Maya my apologies, tell her I was wrong." They embraced in a hug and Mrs. Friar gave her son a kiss on the cheek.

"I will. Thank you for everything."

"Alright, that's enough talking, now get out of here before it's to late. Go get her son, go get your girl."

 **Ok, Lucas realized he's an idiot but that's nothing new. And Momma Friar realized she was wrong about Maya. What will happen once Lucas arrives in New York? Comment your thoughts.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21

Riley tossed and turned in her sleep. For some reason she couldn't get her brain to cooperate. She was physically tired but her mind was everywhere. She then heard a knock on the door.

..."Riley." Farkle called out groggily. "What's that noise?"

"Ssh. Go back to sleep. I'll check it out." She answered, tossing the covers, grabbing her cellphone and closing the door.

 _Knock knock._

She opened the door slowly and was surprised to see who was standing there.

"Maya?" Riley asked, her voice hoarse.

"Riles! Hey Honey, sorry to wake you up, I couldn't find my keys." She said casually.

"Maya, what are you doing here?" Riley asked, confusion on her face.

"I...live here Sweetie?" Maya answered, trying to hide the pain in her voice.

"Well...yeah of course you do but I mean, what are you doing _back_? You're supposed to be in Texas with Lucas. Where's Lucas? Why are you here, alone?

"Whoa, calm down you're asking to many questions. I missed you ok? I missed my best friend. Look, I'm already here and I'm tired so I'm just gonna go to sleep. Farkle is in my room so I'll take the couch. Good night Riles, we can talk tomorrow." Maya announced, kicking her shoes off and leaving her stuff in the doorway.

Just like that Maya fell asleep and left Riley standing there just as confused as she'd been when she opened the door.

"Good night Peaches, we can talk tomorrow." Riley repeated, giving Maya a kiss on the forehead and walking back to her room.

 _In Texas_

"So she was here?" Lucas asked the lady at the desk.

"Yes. I gave her a ticket to New York but like I said, I have no more flights heading to New York. You're going to have to wait until morning, the flight she boarded was the only one available."

Lucas ran a hand through his hair and put his cellphone in his pocket. He was going to have to patiently wait to catch a flight, patience that he didn't have. He wanted to talk to Maya and he needed to do it now. But she wasn't answering any of his phone calls or messages and he didn't want to drag Riley into this. This was something he needed to fix himself.

"One last question, how did she seem?" He asked carefully.

The airport clerk looked up at him curiously. "She seemed very upset." She answered eyeing him carefully.

 _Great._

In New York

"So she just showed up and said she came back because she _missed you_?" Farkle asked, scratching his forehead.

It was morning and both Riley and Farkle were standing in the living room watching Maya sleep.

"Yeah that''s what she said. I believe that she did miss me but obviously there's more to this than she's saying but she didn't want to add on, she said she was really tired and honestly, so was I."

"Have you heard from Lucas?" Riley asked, not taking her eyes off of Maya.

"No I haven't. I've tried calling him but his phone is turned off. Something is going on Riley and I think I should go. Maya is going to wake up and when she does, you have to ask her what happened. If I'm here, she won't want to tell you."

"You're right. I'm going to make breakfast so we can eat and wait for her to wake up."

Riley and Farkle ate breakfast in silence and Farkle gathered all of his things, giving Riley a kiss and heading out the door.

A few hours later, Maya's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey sleepyhead." Riley said with a warm smile.

"Hey Riles." Maya answered, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

She got up from the couch and let out a yawn as she headed into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and rinsing it in the sink.

"So are you going to tell me why you came back so soon?"

"Riley, I already told you, I missed you."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't believe I'm capable of dropping everything for my best friend and coming home because I missed her and wanted to see her face?" Maya asked, trying to sound as honest as possible.

"I do. What I don't believe is that that's the only reason you came back. There has to be something more Peaches, something you're not telling me."

"Riley I have alot of unpacking to do and paintings I need to finish. Can we do this another time?" Maya asked, getting her bags and putting everything in her room.

"Maya I know you're lying to me...again but I also know that you don't like to be pushed so I have no choice but to wait until you're ready to talk. Hey I made you breakfast by the way. Do you want me to fix you a plate?"

"I'm not hungry." Maya called out.

How was she going to come clean? How was she going to explain to Riley everything that happened in Texas? That she made a mistake in going and nothing was how it seemed?

"Hey Maya, can I come in?" Riley asked, peeking her head in the room.

Maya was in her studio trying to paint a piece for the art show that was coming up but she wasn't inspired and was getting frustrated with herself.

"Sure Riley come on in." She answered, not taking her eyes off of the canvas.

"That's a really nice painting Maya, it's coming along very nicely."

"Are you kidding?" Maya asked, letting out a humorless laugh. "This is the worst piece I've ever done and I really need to finish it but I can't because I have alot on my plate and the last thing I want is!-"

"Peaches, calm down." Riley interrupted, placing her hands on Maya's shoulders. "What's going on with you Maya? I'm worried about you promised you weren't going to keep things from me, so spill."

"Riley."

"Maya."

"Honey, there's nothing-."

"There is something Maya and I want to know what it is and I want to know now."

"...Fine." Maya said defeatedly, looking into Riley's eyes.

She grabbed a stool and told Riley to sit down, and grabbed a stool for herself as well.

"Riley..." Maya spoke slowly. "Everything was a lie, Lucas' mom doesn't even like me. You know what she said? She told me to leave Lucas before I ruined things and did the same thing my father did to me. Can you believe her? She compared me to my father Riley, my _father_! I'm nothing like him! Right?"

"Of course you're nothing like him Peaches!" Riley said, pulling Maya into a hug.

"Wait, but I thought Lucas said his mom really liked you?" Riley asked confused.

"Yeah, well he lied." Maya answered dryly. "He also...cheated on me with a childhood friend of his." She finished, unable to look Riley in the eyes.

"Everything was a lie Riles. Everything. Lucas is a liar. He never loved me or cared about me. I can't believe I believed him everytime he would say it. I can't believe I allowed myself to open up to him."

It hurt Riley to see her friend like this. She was crushed, her eyes no longer held that spark and Maya did something she hadn't done since seeing Lucas with that girl. Burying her head in Riley's chest, Maya cried.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 22

"He cheated on you?" Riley finally asked, as she wiped away Maya's tears.

"Yes." Maya answered, her voice choked. "A friend of his came to our table, her name was Jessie and we started talking and drinking. Anyway, I left for like ten minutes. Ten minutes Riley, that's all it took. Just like that he threw everything we had, away."

Riley shifted in her seat and tried to think of what to say. She was very upset with Lucas. How could he do this to her Peaches?

"I wanted to tell you so you wouldn't be surprised if you no longer see us together. I'm done Riley. Lucas and I are over." She said, letting out a sigh.

"Maya don't get ahead of yourself. Think about it, give yourself a few days."

"There's nothing to think about Riley. Lucas is a liar and a cheater, there's nothing more to do. I've made my decision." Maya said, getting up and grabbing the canvas and tossing it in the trash. "I'm gonna be in my room."

Riley followed her out and closed the door behind her. Now she knew the truth. Now she knew why the trip had abruptly ended. It was all Lucas' fault and she was going to get to the bottom of this, for Maya.

 _Later_

"Hey Baby, thanks for meeting me." Riley said, giving Farkle a kiss and motioning for him to sit down. She had called him so they could meet and talk about Maya's situation. Maya was her best friend and one way or another, Riley had to fix this.

"Hey, so tell me, what happened?" Farkle asked, running his fingers through his hair, which was going in weird directions due to the wind.

"So Maya told me what happened in Texas. Long story short, Lucas lied and cheated on her Farkle. He lied and cheated to my Peaches!" Riley said, raising her voice and covering her face with her hands. "She's very upset and sad and I don't like seeing her like this."

"Well there has to be a reason right?" Farkle asked a bit hopeful.

"She said they had had a few drinks, but that doesn't justify his actions. Also," Riley said pointing a finger, I warned him Farkle. I told him to take care of her and to return her in one piece but did he listen? No, he didn't and I really need to talk to him."

"Oh no you're not." Farkle said grabbing her hand. "If you get involved, Maya is going to be really mad."

"Ok then you do it."

"What?"

"You talk to Lucas for me. Get to the bottom of this and find a solution." Riley said crossing her arms.

"Do I have too?" Farkle asked not really sure of why because he already knew the answer. He couldn't say no to her, not when he knew how important this was to her. And certainly not when she was looking at him the way she was, with those big brown chocolate eyes he loved to get lost in.

"...fine I'll do it." He finally said. "I'm guessing he's back in the city right? I'll call him tonight deal?"

"Deal!" Riley said, clapping her hands together and giving Farkle a kiss.

 _Riley and Maya's Apt._

"Hey Peaches?" Riley said, giving Maya's door a light tap. "I brought you your favorite...a tuna melt sandwich." Riley opened the door and walked inside the room. Maya was laying in bed on her stomach with her arm dangling on the side. Riley put the plate on Maya's nightstand and sat down beside her.

"Maya? I brought you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry." She replied effortlessly.

"Maya you need to eat. You didn't eat breakfast, I left and ate lunch with Farkle so I doubt you ate anything then and now you refuse to eat dinner? I know this is hard for you but please just-"

"I said I'm not hungry!"

Riley flinched at Maya's sudden outburst. "Maya."

Maya got up from the bed and took Riley's arm, dragging her out of the room.

"What? Maya!"

"Riley...I just need a break ok?"

"From who?"

"From...you and everything." Maya finished, closing the door in Riley's face.

If there was something Riley didn't like, this would probably be at the top of her list. Maya was far from ok and it was all Lucas' fault and the worst part? He never even came by to give her an explanation. _I hope Farkle is doing a better job at this than I am._

 _At a diner, somewhere in New York_

Farkle sat in his seat, patiently waiting for Lucas to arrive. After numerous phone calls and alot of insisting he finally got Lucas to agree to meet him in a 24 hour diner. He finally arrived and even though Farkle didn't want to admit it, he was nervous about confronting him. _Lucas buddy you're my friend, but what you did to Maya isn't ok. I'm doing this for her and Riley, well mostly Riley because Maya has no idea this is happening and if she found out she would kill me, so I'm doing this mostly for Riley._

Lucas approached Farkle a bit nervously and sat down. There was something off about him, he couldn't even look Farkle in the eye.

"Thanks for coming man, for a second there I didn't think you'd show up."

"Yeah...well here I am, you were very...insistent. So let's cut to the chase Farkle, I know you know about what happpened with Maya."

"Yes, I do, Riley told me."

"Farkle I love her. I made a mistake and need to make up for it. I can't lose her."

"Lucas, the reason I asked you to come was because I wanted to know your side of the story. Maya told Riley her side, now I want you to tell yours." Farkle said, eyeing Lucas carefully.

"I lied to her and cheated on her because I'm an idiot and got drunk. That's it, that's what happened...Farkle you gotta help me man, I need to win Maya back." Lucas said, his eyes pleading.

"I don't know man, Riley said she was very upset and sad. You broke her heart. You know how Maya is when it comes to feelings so it's gonna be tough."

"I don't care Farkle, I haven't seen her because it's to soon but I plan on talking to her later. I'm gonna get my Shortstack back. Mark my words."

 **What do you think? Will Maya and Lucas work out their differences?**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 23

Maya couldn't sleep. That was becoming a habit these last couple of days. Many things had changed in the last couple of days. She no longer felt like doing much. She had no inspiration and she was shutting people out of her life. By people, she meant Riley. She couldn't do it anymore, she couldn't bear to be with her because being with her reminded her of the past and the past reminded her of Lucas, who she didn't want to talk to or see.

She had spent all this time in her room. Riley would beg and beg her to come out, to come back to her. Come back and be the Maya she had always been, the one that she loved and needed, but she refused.

She couldn't believe it though. She couldn't believe she was like this because of him. It was more than that though. She had put alot of thought into being with him. She loved him and he threw everything away. He lied and he cheated and she gave him her heart and he destroyed it.

 _Hope is for suckers_

"Alright! This is enough!" Riley announced, barging into Maya's room and opening the curtains, allowing the light to come in.

"Riley what the hell!" Maya groaned, covering her face with a pillow. "Get out of my room and let me sleep!"

"No."

"Riley get the fuck out! Seriously, please just leave me alone." She was annoyed now. The light made her eyes burn and the fact that Riley barged in made her mad.

"Riley please please please just leave me alone." Maya said on the verge of tears.

"I'm not leaving you Maya. You've been in your room for days and you never come out. Lucas has come by to try to talk to you but you never want to recieve him. I'm sorry that this happened. I've been patient and I've tried to help you but you shut me out." She finished out of breath. She lifted Maya's chin . "Maya look at me. There's a life outside of these four walls and you need to start reliving it and my life, it needs you in it. Please Peaches, come back to me." Riley looked into Maya's eyes searching for something, anything that indicated that Maya had finally snapped out of all of this.

Without saying a word, Maya hugged Riley. She hugged her for the first time in what felt like ages. "I'm sorry Riles." She spoke into her hair in between quiet sobs.

"Ssh I know you are Peaches you don't have to say it, you don't have to say anything." She spoke in a soothing voice, rubbing circles on Maya's back.

"So are you ready to do this, are you ready to talk to him?"

"No. I don't want to see him, but I do want to see you."

"Good and no matter what, you know I'm here for you right?"

" I know. Now changing the subject a bit, is there anything you want to tell me Riles?"

Riley looked at her best friend nervously and started playing with her bracelet. "Could you be more specific Maya?"

"When were you going to tell me about you and Farkle Honey?"

"Oh _that_!" Riley beamed excitedly.

"Honestly Maya, with everything that happened with you and Lucas, I didn't want you to know about Farkle and I being together."

"Honey no matter what I want you to know that I always-"

Maya couldn't finish what she was saying because a sudden knock on the door broke her focus.

She walked out with Riley close behind and opened the door, just to find a very familiar very unwelcome face.

"Lucas you are the last person I want to see right now. No actually, not even if you were the last person would I want to see you."

"Maya I really need to talk to you."

"I don't care Lucas."

"Please let me explain."

She wasn't having it. He wasn't supposed to be standing there and he needed to leave. Without a second thought, she tried shoving him away (without any luck) and he grabbed her wrist.

"I'm sorry for this."

"What does that mean?"

He grabbed her wrist and handcuffed her to him and they walked out of the building, with a very pissed off Maya.

"Lucas what the fuck?!"

"Don't fight it Maya." He said rather calmly, literally dragging her out.

"Let me go Lucas! What the fuck is wrong with you. This is kidnapping!"

"That's a little melodramatic don't you think?"

"I am _literally_ handcuffed to you so no I don't think so!"

He let her ramble on and on until she grew tired of talking and hitting and fighting him that she fell asleep and he carried her to his car. Just like old times when she was tired and he would carry her.

"I'm sorry Maya," He said, moving hair away from her face. "I need you to hear what I have to say and this is the only way."

He put her in the car and drove off. It felt like he drove for hours and finally pulled in and parked close to an abandoned buillding, far away from their usual places where they liked to hang out. (This did not seem shady at all). Maya began to open her eyes and started wrestling with the handcuff that Lucas placed between the door handle.

"Great, so this _wasn't_ a dream. Could you please tell me what the fuck you want so you can take me back to Riley, a person who I actually want to spend time with?"

"I'm sorry Maya. I'm sorry I lied to you about my mother and I'm sorry I-."

"Don't. I don't want to hear it. If what you're looking for is forgiveness, fine, I forgive you but that doesn't mean things are going to go back to how they were. You broke my heart. It took you ten minutes to destoy what we built in years. We formed a great friendship Lucas. We created a game, we had an understanding, a great dynamic. Sure we had our ups and downs but we still remained. Then I was in the hospital and you begged me to come back, and I did. After some time, we started dating and you know what you did? You ruined it in a matter of ten minutes. You ruined it taking me on a trip based on lies. I forgive you but don't expect me to go back to how things were. Please take me home." Maya let out with a deep breath. She wasn't going to lie, she felt better. She finally told him everything she needed to say.

Lucas turned the ignition and drove back to Maya's apartment with silence filling the car.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24

"And he cuffed you?" Farkle asked, laughing and wiping a tear from his eye.

"Yes Farkle, he did. I don't know why you're laughing so hard, it's really not funny, like at all." Maya answered, punching him in the arm.

"Well the good thing is, you said everything you wanted to say and got it all out of your system, right?" Riley asked, twirling Maya as they walked.

The trio were on their way to the art gallery. Maya had finished her paintings on time to submit them and had invited Riley and Farkle to the show so she could share her art with her friends. Lucas had also been invited but for obvious reasons, he was now off the list.

"Yes Riles I told him everything I wanted to tell him. I feel better and now my only priority is this art show and you guys. I never congratulated you guys on getting together by the way, congrats you two, I'm happy for you guys." She said with a sincere smile.

"Thanks Peaches, I know you are." Riley answered, giving Maya's hand a light squeeze.

"But if you do anything to my girl, I will kill you." She said, turning her head and eyeing Farkle carefully.

This startled Farkle a bit making him tense up. One never really knew with Maya. Of course she wasn't going to kill him but she was serious when she was talking about Riley. Both girls cared about each other and they would do anything to help and protect each other as well.

They made it to the building and Farkle opened the door so they could walk in with Farkle following close behind. This was Maya's turf, she belonged here and her face proved it. She was happy, there was a special glint in her eyes and Riley couldn't help but smile at her best friend and be proud at what she had accomplished. She just wished Lucas was here to share this moment with Maya but sadly, he wasn't. Riley knew her best friend, even though she said she was done with Lucas, she knew deep down that Maya still loved him. She would catch her going through her phone and scrolling through the pictures they had taken together. The little things, Riley noticed.

"Ok people, let's go!" Maya announced, clapping her hands together.

This made Riley jump and shake away all of her thoughts. She pulled Farkle closer and followed Maya as she led the way into the gallery.

"There are refreshments and appetizers over there." Maya said, pointing to a table. "Please don't touch the art. I don't want you to break anything _Farkle_."

Farkle put his hands up in the air and looked around the room. "That was only one time!"

"Anyway, look around, eat and enjoy each other's company. I'm gonna be talking to all the reps and hopefully, I'll get positive feedback."

"You will Peaches. You're amazing and so is your art." Riley said, pulling Maya into a hug. "Now go get'em my fierce amazon warrior."

Riley watched as Maya left and began talking to everyone. She watched as people got close to her paintings and Maya explained the meaning behind them. She watched as she used her hands to explain the pieces and as she smiled a real geniune smile, the _first_ geniune smile she had seen in days and lastly, she watched and admired as people congratulated her and gave her a light pat on the shoulder. Maya would sometimes turn around and signal that things were going great, giving Riley a thumbs up sign. Her best friend was happy and Riley was happy for her best friend.

"She's doing great Farkle. Look at her, she looks so happy!"

"She does. This is her place ya' know? She blends in easily, she loves it Riley. Her art is everything to her, after you of course." Farkle answered, giving Riley a kiss on the cheek.

"I just wish Lucas was here so they could share this experience together. They've always supported each other and it feels weird that he's not here."

"I know, it's always been the core four and now..." Farkle said, caressing Riley's cheek.

Their moment was cut short when Maya approached them with a smile from ear to ear.

"Done! I got positive feedback and alot of buyers." She said, her eyes lighting up.

They both head out and go back to their apartment. Farkle is spending the night again, but Maya doesn't mind. Riley is happy and that's all she cares about.

 _On The Roof_

"Maya, you gonna be ok up here?" Riley asks, grabbing her blanket and heading to the door.

"Sure, go ahead Riles, I just need some air."

Maya watched as Riley disappeared and she got a bit more comfortable, snuggling into her blanket. She watched the people cross the streets and the way the lights flickered in the buildings. She suddenly heard a noise but didn't mind it, it was probably Riley anyway.

"Riley?" Maya asks curiously.

"Nope, Huckleberry." Lucas responds, with a smirk on his face. Was he crazy? Did he not remember everything he did, everything he caused?

"Lucas what are you doing here?"

"Lucas?" He asks, getting closer and taking a seat next to her.

"That's your name isn't it?" She asks, rather mockingly.

"Well, yeah, but you rarely ever call me by my name. You always call me names remember?"

Of course she remembered, but always didn't always mean forever. She gets up and starts looking around. "You shouldn't be here. I don't want you here."

"I don't want to fight, I just came to congratulate you. Farkle told me you sold your pieces, I'm proud of you Maya."

"Thanks. You can go now."

He does and Maya can't help but be upset. How could he do this? How could he do this to her and then show up one day and act like nothing happened? Letting out a deep breath, she grabbed her blanket and went inside. Sleep. She needed sleep. She had had a long day and Lucas coming made her want to end it. So she went inside and closed her door.

 **Hey guys, this story is almost over. What would you like to happen next?**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 25

"Farkle. Farkle." It was early in the morning and Riley rushed to waKe Farkle up. She had a plan, and he was going to help her. If only, he would wake up. He was a pretty heavy sleeper and the fact that it was so early in the morning, wasn't helping the cause.

"Farkle!" She said a little louder while shaking him.

"What? I'm...I'm awake." He shot up, blinking rapidly and trying to wipe the sleep away from his eyes.

"I have a plan and I need your help."

"Riley, what do you want me to do now?" He asked, groaning. Riley shot him a look and he regretted his action immediately. "I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?"

"Ok, babe, listen to me. Maya and Lucas are miserable and it's our job, as their friends, to help them out. Maya still loves Lucas, she just needs a little push."

"Are you sure she still loves him?"

"Of course I am! Those two have been through so much together and they need each other, Maya is just to stubborn to admit it."

Farkle laughed nervously at this. Knowing Riley, she would come up with something bizarre and he was to scared to ask her, but he did anyway. "Ok, count me in. What's the plan?"

"Yay!" Riley shot up and gave Farkle a kiss on the lips. Whispering quietly, Riley told Farkle her plan and they went over basics. She was good at making plans, the problem was, if they succeeded. They only had one shot. If they messed this up, Maya would hate them forever.

"Think you can do that?" Riley asked, waiting expectantly.

"I can do that. Don't worry, this is going to work. Maya and Lucas will be back together in no time, and we'll be the core four again but best of all, we won't feel divided about picking sides. You take care of Maya and I'll deal with Lucas"

They high-fived and headed into the kitchen, being careful not to wake Maya up.

 _Later That Day_

Farkle was gone and the plan was in motion. She had one job. It was going to work, right? Yeah, it had to work.

"Hey Maya, I'm gonna need your help today. Mr. Carson asked me to help clean out his storage room and I can't do it alone. You think you can help me?"

"No. Sorry Riles." She answered, not taking her eyes off the window as she saw a little girl cross the street.

 _No? Yes. You need to say yes. The plan won't work if you say no._

"Peaches, please? I really need your help."

"I can't Riley. I have other things to do. Plus, Carson hates me, there's no way I'm stepping in that guy's apartment. Why don't you ask Farkle?"

 _Damnit._

 **To:Riley**

 **From:Farkle**

 **Hey Love, how's it going on your end? I got Lucas to meet me tonight, so everything's going according to plan. What about you, did you convince Maya?**

"No. This cannot be happening." Riley said outloud, covering her face with her hands. There wasn't much she could do. If she kept insisting her, Maya would get suspicious and Riley couldn't have that. How could she forget that Mr. Carson hated Maya when she used him as an excuse. That man loved to hold grudges and he could not forgive Maya for running over his cat, Skittles years ago, with her skateboard.

 **To:Farkle**

 **From:Riley**

 **Babe I messed up! Maya said she was busy, but don't worry, I'll fix it.**

Maya put in all of the clothes in her laundry basket and headed to the elevator so she could head back to her apartment. Riley said she needed to talk to her, so she had a few hours to get ready and meet her at her favorite coffee shop. She pressed the button and waited for the elevator door to open. When it did, she stepped inside and let her body hit the wall and she slid and sat down on the floor.

"Hold the door!" She heard someone say, as she saw an arm reach out.

"Maya?"

"Lucas, what the hell are you doing here?" She asked exasperated.

"I came to see you. We need to talk. What are you doing here?"

"I was doing laundry downstairs." She answered, pointing down at her basket.

Suddenly they heard a thud and the elevator stopped. The building was pretty old but this had never happened to them.

"What just happened?" Maya asked, wide eyed.

"The elevator stopped." Lucas said calmly.

"What do you mean it _stopped_?"

"I mean...it's no longer _moving_."

"No. No, no, no. This can not be happening." She got closer to the door and started hitting it with her fists and with as much force as she could possibly muster.

"Stop. Maya, calm down."

"Calm down?! How can I calm down? I don't know if you know this Huckleberry, but we are _stuck_ in an elevator. We could be here for hours before someone finds us. The doors are to thick for anyone to hear us, the building is pretty much empty and the Emergency button doesn't seem to work. And I can't be stuck in here, much less with you."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh at this. It was pretty funny to see Maya upset over something like this and, at least one good thing came out it.

"Why the fuck are you laughing? None of this is funny. Like, at all."

"Nothing. It's just, well, you called me Huckleberry again."

"Are you serious? We have more important things to worry about." She said, in between labored breaths.

"Do you have signal on your phone?" Lucas asked after a few uncomfortable silence.

"No." Maya answered dryly.

"I don't either."

Maya couldn't take this anymore. They had been stuck in the elevator for thirty minutes, but to her, it seemed like thirty hours. She was getting sweaty and it was getting hard to breathe.

"Well, we're gonna be here awhile so I think now is the best time to talk about what happened."

Maya rolled her eyes at Lucas and brought her knees up to her chest.

"Maya, I'm sorry. I know that I'm always apologizing, but I mean it, honestly. I lied to you about my mom. She was able to understand that I love you and that you're my life. She gave me her blessing though, she understood that no matter what, you and I were going to be together."

"Did you forget the part when that girl's tongue was down your throat?" Maya asked, staring at the wall with a blank expression.

"No. No I didn't." He responded sheepishly. "That meant nothing. I was drunk. I made a mistake and I'll do anything for you to forgive me, because I love you."

"Stop talking Lucas." She ordered, getting up.

"You're right. No more talking."

And just like that, he pulled her in and pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her. He kissed her with force and hunger and desire. He missed her and couldn't take it anymore. She pulled away abruptly and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

"Don't _ever_ do that again!" Her eyes were wide and she was _pissed_!

"Maya."

"Get away from me Lucas." Her breaths were labored and she was sweating. "I need some space."

"Don't you think we've had enough space?"

"No, I need _space_." She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing, but she was having difficulty.

"Maya? What's wrong?" Look at me. What's wrong?" Lucas asked, cupping her face.

"I can't b...breathe."

"Stay with me. Why can't you breathe?"

"Clau...stro...phobic." She responded. She was dizzy and she needed to get out of this stupid elevator.

"Maya, I'm right here. Stay with me, we're gonna be fine. _You're_ gonna be fine."

She was feeling weak and she felt like everything around her was moving. _1-2-3._ She couldn't do it anymore. She gave in and welcomed the darkness.

"Damn it." Lucas cursed under his breath.

 _Some Coffee Shop In New York_

"No! It goes straight to voicemail." Riley said, letting out a deep breath.

Her and Farkle were trying to get ahold of Maya and Lucas, but they wouldn't answer.

"Of course only I would mess this up! She probably decided not to come because she knew we were up to something."

"Maybe, but what about Lucas? He didn't suspect a thing and he didn't show up either."

"What if something happened to her?"

"Riley, don't freak out. Let's head back to the apartment, alright? Everything will be fine."

They both got up from their table and headed to the apartment.

Farkle and Riley opened the lobby doors and were horrified to see men working on the elevator doors and even more when they saw Lucas walk out of the elevator, with Maya in his arms.

"Lucas!" They both called out and ran after him. "What happened?" They asked in unision.

"We were stuck in the elevator and Maya fainted. She regained consciousness but she fainted again." He replied, caressiing her cheek.

" Lay her down, let me check her." Farkle said, going into doctor mode.

Lucas did as he was told and layed her down on the lobby carpet. Farkle got closer and told Riley to get him some alcohol and cotton balls. She got the supplies, handed them to him and watched as he worked. Dipping a cotton ball in the alcohol, Farkle told Lucas to hold Maya's head as he brought the cotton ball to her nose. It seemed to do the trick because she started coughing.

"Peaches?"

"Hey Riles." Maya answered, trying to sit up.

"Take it easy Maya. You fainted and you're dizzy." Lucas spoke up, holding onto Maya and using his thigh as a pillow so she could rest her head.

"Lucas, I think you and I need to have that talk now." Maya said, looking up at him.

"Maya, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear that." Lucas responded, moving hair away from her face.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 26

Today was the day. Today was the day Maya was going to give Lucas a chance to explain himself. She couldn't deny it, she was nervous. Sure, she had seen him talked to him after everything that happened in Texas, but this was the first time they were really going to have a real conversation. He was going to be here any minute, and Maya had asked Riley to go somewhere else, so the two of them could talk comfortably.

"So Riles, you never told me your plan." Maya said, picking at her fingernails and looking at her hand as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"My plan?" Riley asked nervously, tossing her belongings into her purse.

"Yes Honey, your plan. Ya' know, when you asked me to meet you at the coffee shop. Why would you ask me to meet you there, if you hate that place?"

"Oh, _that_! Well yes, _I_ hate it but you don't.

Riley glanced at Maya, as Maya's eyes grew wide and she said nothing. She wasn't going too, she knew Riley had more to say.

"Ok, fine! So maybe Farkle and I thought that maybe just _maybe_ we could seperately convince you both to meet us there because we know that it's your favorite coffee shop in the city, and Lucas wouldn't have said no. Which he didn't. You on the other hand, are stubborn and I had to work my magic and persuasion skills. It was all for the best Peaches, you and Lucas belong together and even if you don't, you can't deny that there are still things you need to work out before you're at peace with yourself. I wanted the both of you to talk and work things out...I did this for you, Maya, because I love you."

"I love you too, Honey and I appreciate the gesture."

They pulled each other into a hug and Riley rubbed Maya's back, just the way she liked it.

"And hey, it worked out in the end, right? I mean, you're finally going to have that much deserved, real talk."

"Yeah, and all it took was getting stuck in the elevator, and me passing out from claustrophobia." Maya answered sarcastically.

"Peaches." Riley answered with a grimace.

"Sorry. Yeah, no I don't wanna have to go through that again. I shouldn't be joking about it. Ok, I love you Riles, but you gotta get out of here. Lucas will be here any minute." She pushed her best friend out of the door.

"Be careful Peaches, I love you!" She heard Riley yell from the hall.

Lucas arrived shortly with a boxes of takeout.

"Hey Shortstack!" He greeted her with a bright smile. "I brought food, hope you're hungry."

"Come on in, Lucas."

He frowned, but stepped inside anyway.

"And we're back to you calling me Lucas, I suppose." He said, placing the boxes on the kitchen table.

He watched her as she gathered cups and napkins and set them on the table. He smiled, because he knew what was coming next.

"Don't just stand there. You know I can't reach the plates. If it's just me and Riley, she gets them because I can't. You gonna help a Shortstack of Pancakes out or not?"

He reached out to grab the plates and handed them to her with a smile.

They started out small. They started out talking about the small things, their middle school years when they first met. How she would tease him and call him names and he would let her, because he liked it. They laughed and laughed until Maya got up from her seat to try to not spit the lemonade she was drinking. She tried to reach the sink but she didn't make it. Instead, she spit the lemonade out all over the kitchen floor.

"Here, let me help you." Lucas said, getting up from his seat.

"I got it." She answered, wiping her mouth with a wet rag that was in the sink.

She turned around and slipped on the wet floor, but Lucas was right there by her side, grabbing her by the arm and steadying her.

"...Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem.

"Hey, Maya?" He said, grabbing some paper towels.

"Yeah?" She answered, mopping the floor.

"Why didn't you tell me you were claustrophobic?"

"I...I don't know, I guess it never came up. I had never been in a situation like that with you, so I never told you." She was looking out into a distance. "I have been since I was little. I remember playing hide and seek with Riley and Farkle, one day. When you're a kid, all you wanna do is have fun and I forgot about it. They didn't know, so I couldn't blame them. I hid in the coat closet. I'm not sure how long I was in there but it felt like a really long time...I remember not being able to breathe, but I wanted to win the game, so I sucked it up. Which, only made things worse. They heard me crying and opened the door. They fouund me crying and shaking. That's how Riley and Farkle found out I was claustrophobic. I really scared Mr. and Mrs. Matthews that day." She closed her eyes as if to shake away the memory.

"I'm just glad you're ok. You really scared me."

"Me too." She gave him a warm smile.

They cleaned up and put the dirty dishes in the sink. Throwing away the boxes and napkins. She was ready to talk and Lucas was eager to begin. They both sat down on the couch, but they were to nervous to start.

"I'll start." Lucas began. "I know I made a mistake, Maya and I'm sorry. I care about you, more than anything in this world and I'm an idiot for hurting you. I don't expect things to go back to the way things were, not if you don't want them too, but I do want your forgiveness. I need it." He finished, looking into her eyes.

"Lucas, what you did, it really hurt me. I regretted letting you convince me to go to Texas and seeing you with that girl... For awhile, I thought it was my fault. I thought I was the one who had done something. I stopped caring about things, my art in general and Riley. I pushed her away, I pushed Riles away when all she wanted to do was help me. I was in my room for days, until Riley called it quits and she snapped me out of it. I spent days and nights and nights missing you. I barely slept and I barely ate anything. Riley was really worried about me."

"Maya, you never had to go through that and I'm sorry that you did, because of me. I promise I'll never make you go through that again. I want us to be ok again. I want things to go back to how they were and I just need your forgiveness. I'll make it up to you. I just need you back in my life. I almost lost you once, I don't want to lose you again. I need you to call me Huckleberry again. I want to be your Huckleberry and I want you to be my-."

"I forgive you."

"What?"

"I forgive you. I missed you too and I need you in my life just as much. I want to trust you again, so I'm giving you another chance." She saw the way his eyes lit up. "We're not kids anymore, so this isn't a game. I want this to work, so let's promise each other that no matter what, we'll work on this relationship and be together. Got it, Huckleberry?"

"Got it, Shortstack." Lucas gave her a big smile.

"Good. Now give me a kiss, Cowboy."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 27

"Remind me to put a leash on you next time, Peaches." Riley said, putting a small band-aid on Maya's forehead.

"Ow. Hey, don't judge. It's not my fault I ran into the door."

"Yes it was! That's what happens when you're distracted."

"Well the bird that flew by distracted me, it's really not my fault I didn't see the door." She finished, with a pout.

Her best friend laughed at this. Leave it to Maya to injure herself over the smallest things.

"Ok, all done!" She looked at her watch and grabbed her coat. "I hate to leave you here while you're injured but, Farkle and I have date night and it's time for me to go."

"Don't worry about me, Honey. I'll be fine. I'll just eat cake and watch really bad movies." She winked at her best friend.

"Peaches, please _please_ don't do anything while I'm gone. I don't want to come home to find you unconscious or with any broken bones."

"Riley, you are so dramatic!"

"Promise me."

"Fine, I promise." She said, throwing her hands in the air. "Now go on your date. I love you."

Riley walked off and waved Maya goodbye. With a sigh, she dragged her feet to the couch, turned on the T.V. and headed to the kitchen to get a cake out of the fridge that she had bought from her favorite coffee shop. She heard a knock on the door and headed to open it.

"Huckleberry, I'm so happy to see you." She said, jumping on him and wrapping her legs around his waist and giving him a kiss.

"I'm happy to see you too, Shortstack. Farkle told me he was going to take Riley out on a date and I thought I would come see you and cook you some dinner." He raised the bag of groceries he had on one hand, while steadily holding onto Maya with the other.

"What happened to you?" He asked, setting the bag on the table and moving hair away from her face.

"Nothing. You wanna put me down?"

"No, I'd rather stay like this forever. I'd also like you to tell me what happened to your forehead. Why do you have a band-aid with purple unicorns on your forehead?"

"Because they're the only band-aids we have."

"Maya."

"I ran into the door, ok? I was distracted by a bird that flew by and it was stupid and a stupid door knocked me down! Can you believe a door is smarter than me?"

He set her down and kissed her forehead. "A bird? You got distracted by a bird that prevented you from seeing a door?"

"It was a beautiful bird, ok?"

They started with dinner and Maya plugged in her phone to a speaker and started singing and dancing. Her hips moved to the beat of the music and her voice made perfect harmony. Now Lucas was the one who was distracted. He turned off the stove and Maya pulled him by the arm and they started dancing.

"I love you." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her numerous kisses on the forehead.

"What?" I can't hear you! The music is to loud!" She replied, pointing to her ear.

He cleared his throat and positioned himself so that they were at eye level. "I LOVE YOU, MAYA PENELOPE HART! I LOVE YOU!" He spun her around and kissed her on the lips.

 _Riarkle Date_

"Dinner was wonderful, Farkle." Riley gave him a kiss on the cheek and wrapped her arm around his.

"If you liked that, wait until you see what I have planned next."

"There's _more_?"

"There's never enough. I always want to do and give you everything."

Farkle had planned to take Riley on a romantic boat ride. So he covered her eyes and guided her to the lake. She squealed when she saw the small boat and Farkle hopped on and held his hand out for Riley to join him. He took off his blazer and rolled up his sleeves so he could start stirring the boat. There was a picnic basket filled with fruit and champagne for them to celebrate.

"Hey Riley, you mind opening that compartment and getting whatever's inside?"

She did as she was told and he watched as her eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth with one hand.

"What's this?"

"It's a picnic basket filled with fruit so we can eat while we're on this boat."

Farkle stopped stirring the boat and sat next to Riley, pulling her closer to him. "Hey, Riley."

"Mmm?" She was drawing circles on his arm, while her head was resting on his chest.

"Let's take a trip. We'll invite Lucas and Maya, it'll be the core four. What'dya say?"

"A trip? That sounds great!"

 _Lucaya Night Turned Into Date(?)_

He was laying on the couch ready to put a movie, when she came back in her pajamas. He sat up and she joined him, sitting on his lap and facing him.

"How are you so beautiful, Maya?"

"Yeah, you say that while I have a cut and a unicorn band-aid on my forehead." She said with a scoff.

She snuggled into him and before he knew it, her breathing slowed and she was fast asleep.

"Goodnight Shortstack." He said, kissing her temple.

Riley and Farkle opened the door, heading inside giggling and startling Lucas.

"Oh, crap!" Riley giggled.

"Lucas, sorry to wake you, buddy." Farkle said, hanging his coat. "Good thing you're awake though, we have something to tell you."

Lucas got up from the couch, setting Maya's head on the pillow, that was originally resting on his chest. Good thing she was a heavy sleeper, for the most part. He grabbed a blanket and covered her with it.

"What do you guys have to tell me?"

"We have very good news, Lucas. I wish Maya was awake, but I'll tell her in the morning. Ready, Farkle? On three. One...two...three. We're going on a trip and we want you and Maya to come with us." They both said in unision.

 **The next chapter will probably be the last, guys.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey guys, sorry for the long absense, life has really been kicking my butt :( I'm back though with this new and last chapter of this story. If you want more, just give me a prompt and I'll include it in my "You Can't Put A Band-Aid On A Shattered Heart" One-Shots. Thank you to everyone who has followed this story and left a nice review, it really means a lot! Oh, and if you have a Tumblr, make sure to follow me! Tumblr URL: maya-isadora-ble**

Chapter 28

"I can't believe you're making me do this, Huckleberry! You _know_ I'm scared of heights!" Maya said angrily as she was being strapped and was being told the do's and dont's of skydiving.

Lucas had gone behind her back and had signed them up to go skydiving as a way to give Farkle and Riley some alone time. She wasn't going to lie, a part of her was excited to do it, but an even bigger part of her was terrified. She could do it though, right? After all, it was only _12,500 feet_ and she was going to have Lucas right there. Everything would be _fine_.

" C'mon, Shortstack, this'll be fun." He responded with a big smile on his face.

It was almost time for them to jump. Lucas was right, this would be fun and it would help Maya get over her fear.

"Now, remember what I taught you." The instructor explained. "Don't be scared, don't think, just do it and remember to lift your feet up when we get ready to land. We are certified, so you two will be safe. Are you ready?" He asked eagerly.

Maya looked at the instructor who was going to join her on her jump and glanced at Lucas and his instructor, as she took a deep breath and gave him a nod. This was it, there was no backing down. The plane was slowing down and the doors were opening. Maya took a deep breath and moved to the edge of the door. It was all kicking in, the adrenaline, that rush, it was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It was euphoric. All of her thoughts vanished in those few seconds. At that moment, it was only her and the sky. She counted to three and leaned forward and jumped out of the plane. It was magical, that amazing feeling of being in the air as she watched the clouds and felt the wind slap her face. Everything was moving in slow motion but she felt her heart race. _Thanks Huckleberry._ Her parachute opened and just like that, they were about to land and she was lifting her feet just like the instructor had said. They landed safely, with Lucas following close behind.

"So, what'd you think?" She heard Lucas ask once they had taken off all of their equipment.

"You're lucky I love you." She answered, giving him a wink. "It was amazing and I'm really glad we did this together.

They thanked the instructors and headed back to their car, with Maya jumping on Lucas' back.

"Carry me, Huckleberry, my legs feel like jell-o"

 _Later_

"A toast, to the best friends a girl could ask for. No, you guys are more than my friends, you're family and I couldn't have asked for better people to be in my life. You guys have been with me through my best and have seen me at my worst." Maya said, lifting her glass.

"What about me?" Lucas asked a bit offended.

"Cowboy, you and I are more than friends." Maya explained, offering him a smile and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"This has honestly been an amazing trip." Riley spoke up. "I'm really happy you and Lucas could join us, Peaches."

Maya gave Riley's hand a light squeeze and a soft smile. They finished the rest of their dinner, all while laughing and enjoying each other's company. She was greatful for them and they knew that.

This was it, this was everything. Life was hard, Maya knew that, she had gone through many ups and downs in the last months, but she knew that she could face anything as long as she had the people she loved by her side, and she did. She knew she always would. Looking at the people she cared about the most, she took out her camera and took a picture of the people who were by her side. The ones who would never leave.

 **Well, that's the end. Sorry that this is super rushed, I'm not very good at ending things. THANK YOU, everyone!**


	30. Chapter 30

**THANK YOU!**

 **Hello, everyone! I just wanted to think everyone who took the time to read my story. I had alot of fun writing it and I hope you all enjoyed it. It really means alot to me, reading your positive reviews is amazing, so thank you. If you'd like me to write something else, please let me know. I'm open to prompts. Thank you.**


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